Memorial bench for Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis

Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875-1911) is a composer and artist who left the most prominent mark in Lithuanian culture, a unique creator in the history of European art.

The artist was born in Varėna, in the family of an organist. When he was just two years old, the family moved to Druskininkai. This is where his love for Lithuanian song and the nature of Druskininkai was formed, and his musical talent was also revealed very early. His most inspired music and paintings were born here.

M. K. Čiurlionis can be compared to the Renaissance masters in terms of the versatility of his creative pursuits. During his career of just ten years, he created about four hundred pieces of music, including two large symphonic poems, an overture, a cantata for choir and orchestra, two sonatas and several cycles of variations for piano, a string quartet, works for choir and many piano opuses. At the same time, during his career as a painter, which lasted only six years, Čiurlionis painted more than three hundred paintings, created a number of graphic works, in addition, he left works of literature and poetry, expressed himself in journalism, and experimented in artistic photography.

Among his most famous musical works are the symphonic poems “Miške” and “Jūra”, among his paintings the most famous are “The Tale (The Tale of the Kings)” (1909), “Rex” (1909), “Sonata No. 5 (Sea Sonata)” (1908), cycle of 12 signs of the zodiac (1907).

Druskininkai is the city of Čiurlionis, and the coast of Druskonis was chosen for the memorial bench not by chance – M.K. Čiurlionis admired the nature of Druskininkai, lived and created here.