Let us walk around Lake Druskonis, the place around which Čiurlionis’ childhood revolved. First, at the junction of M. K. Čiurlionis and V. Kudirka Streets, we will see a striking, gleaming bench created by the artist Romualdas Inčirauskas in honour of the most celebrated native of the region.

It is no coincidence that this Čiurlionis-inspired landmark stands beside the lake, which holds so many stories of the Čiurlionis family – and of Druskininkai itself.

Krisukas’ House

Lake Druskonis shoreline © Leonas Baranovskis (ČDM Dč 264), National M. K. Čiurlionis Museum of Art

After the Čiurlionis family moved from Ratnyčė to Druskininkai around 1878, they lived without a home of their own for quite some time. It is difficult to say where they settled first, but it is known that the family stayed the longest with a local character and notorious miser nicknamed Krisiukas (his real name is unknown). His house stood on today’s V. Kudirka Street, right on the shore of Lake Druskonis.

It was here that little Kastukas spent much of his childhood. According to the memoirs of his sister Jadvyga Čiurlionytė, the family rented this house twice: when M. K. Čiurlionis was about three to four years old, and again from the age of eight to twenty. Six children were born in this home: Povilas, Juozas (who died in infancy), Stasys, Petras, Jonas and Valerija.

Unfortunately, the house has not survived to this day. Its approximate location can only be inferred from a few historic photographs.

The pine and the lake

Pine Tree by Lake Druskonis © Leonas Baranovskis, bernardinai.lt

Čiurlionis spent countless hours on the shores of Lake Druskonis – collecting snails, skipping stones across the water. Often little Kastukas would disappear into the thick reeds, much to his mother’s alarm, and only emerge after she called his name three times.

Jadvyga Čiurlionytė recalls an incident from when Kastukas was about four. Wanting to surprise his mother, he decided to sail across the lake alone and pick her a bouquet of blue flowers – ašariukės – blooming on the opposite shore. For a boat, he chose a metal washtub used for doing laundry, which to his vivid imagination seemed a perfectly seaworthy vessel. Using a stick as an oar, he pushed off into open water.

Luckily, a fisherman witnessed the scene and managed to save the boy before he drowned – although Kastukas protested loudly, determined to finish the journey he had started.

Near the spot where Krisiukas’ house once stood, another living memory of Čiurlionis’ childhood remains: a pine tree of unusual shape, deeply etched into the family’s recollections. Its roots rise high above the ground, twisting and arching as if forming a natural little seat. Jadvyga Čiurlionytė writes that in the evenings their father Konstantinas loved to rest there, leaning gently against the tree while the sunset reddened the opposite shore and the quiet air filled with the melancholy toll of the church bell.

Historic M. K. Čiurlionis Pine Tree © kulturossostine2025.lt

At the initiative of art historian Aušra Česnulevičienė, the Druskininkai Municipality has installed an information plaque reminding visitors of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis’ connection with this place.

❯ Exact location of the pine on the map ↗

Can you imagine how many stories this lake and its shores still hold?

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Prepared based on sources:

ciurlioniokelias.lt, Aušra Česnulevičienė “Čiurlionių takais. Pažinksniavimai po Dzūkiją” (Vox altera, 2025)

Druskonio ežeras ir Čiurlionio vaikystės namai

Druskonio ežeras ir Čiurlionio vaikystės namai

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