Bus Tour of Lithuanian Historical Sites in Chicago with the Balzekas Museum

Hosted by the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, this definitive tour of historic Lithuanian sites brings to life the story and contributions of Lithuanian-Americans to this city.

The tour guide is Lithuanian-American documentary filmmaker and the Balzekas museum's film consultant, Arvydas Reneckis. Since the 1980s, Reneckis has filmed numerous people and events for LRTV, Lithuania's national radio and television broadcast system, as well as for his own cable news programs and documentary films. Like a Lithuanian-American "Geoffrey Baer," Reneckis vividly brings to life the individual stories and experiences that helped shape this city. The tour is in English.

*** 9:00 AM: Bus departs from the Lithuanian World Center, 14911 127th Street Lemont, IL 60439 and returns by 4:00 PM. Parking available. Tour participants, who cannot get to the Lemont, may join the tour at the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture, 6500 S. Pulaski Rd., Chicago, IL at 10:15 AM. Participants using public transportation may be dropped off at the CTA Orange Line after the tour. ***

1. Lithuanian National Cemetery, Justice, IL. Reminscent of the natural beauty of Lithuania, this cemetery is where many Lithuanian immigrants of different ideological and political persuasions were laid to rest for the past 100 years. We'll stop here to learn about the lives and contributions of key figures in Chicago's Lithuanian-American community and those who shaped the Lithuania nation during the independence period between WWI and WWII.

2. Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture. Tour two main exhibitions: 'For Freedom' about the monumental efforts that 19th and 20th century Lithuanian-American immigrants and their compatriots back in the homeland undertook to restore and maintain Lithuania's freedom and independence from Russia; and 'No Home To Go To' about the Lithuanians, Latvians, and Estonians who fled the Soviet and Nazi occupations of the Baltic states in WWII and who, after the war, faced years of hardship and uncertainty in refugee camps before eventually immigrating to the U.S.

3. Marquette Park, Darius and Girėnas Monument. About the Lithuanian roots of this neighborhood, the turbulent 1960s and 1970s, and the Lithuanian-American aviation heroes honored by the Art Deco monument at the corner of Marquette and California.

4. Nativity Blessed Virgin Mary Church. See the unique architecture of this beautiful building and learn about its architect, founders, and patrons.

5. St. Casimir's Convent. A visit to the convent museum and chapel and stop burial cover of the Sisters of St Casimir order's founder, the venerable Mother Marija Kaupais.

6. Chicago's Lithuanian Centre. A stop at the building that was once the center of Chicago's Lithuanian community after WWII and the monument erected in its courtyard.

7. Holy Cross Church. A tour of the largest Lithuanian-built church in America and the Back of the Yards neighborhood, the setting for Upton Sinclair's novel "The Jungle." Sinclair's book exposed the exploitation of workers and unsanitary conditions of the meat-packing industry through the tragic story of a Lithuanian immigrant family.

8. Gates to the Chicago Stockyards. Once the entrance to the stockyards, the gates stand as a monument and reminder of the legendary slaughterhouses and meat-processing plants where Lithuanian immigrants once toiled.

9. Lituanica Ave, Bridgeport. A stop at the site of the first Lithuanian church in Chicago, St. George's (demolished in 1990). We'll learn about the history of Bridgeport, a once thriving Lithuanian commercial center and community, and the significance of the name "Lituanica."

10. Tentatively planned, a tour of the now closed Providence of God Catholic Church at 18th and Halsted Ave. *

* All site visits are subject to change due to unforseen circumstances, such as heavy traffic or other schedule disruptions.

The tour bus is a comfortable modern coach with air-conditioning and a lavatory. Film footage and historic images from the Museum's archives are shown on the coach's video monitors between stops.

The tour departs promptly on Saturday, June 10 at 9 AM from the parking lot of the Lithuanian World Center, 14911 127 St., Lemont, IL 60439. Participants are encouraged to arrive by 8:45 AM. Those who are unable to depart from Lemont, may join the tour at 10:15 AM when the coach arrives at the Balzekas Museum, 6500 S. Pulaski Rd., Chicago, 60629.

The tour concludes back at the Lithuanian World Center in Lemont at 4 p.m. Anyone taking public transportation to other parts of the city will be dropped off at the CTA Orange Line. A boxed lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Tickets: $65 | Balzekas Museum members: $60 - Includes box lunch and light refreshments.

Space is limited. Please reserve your tickets by 6/8/23 here, via Eventbrite.

To reserve by phone call 773.582.6500. For tour information, call 708.813.8080.

This program is sponsored in part by the members and private donors of the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture and the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events through a CityArts Grant. The Museum gratefully acknowledges all donors and sponsors. https://balzekasmuseum.org

Host or Publisher Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture