Raudondwaris Castle

Raudondvaris Castle is located about 5 kilometers northwest of Kaunas.It was built by the Crusaders in the XIV century and became part of the territory of Lithuania in 1410, after the Battle of Grunwald. Legend has it that it was given to Barbara Radziwill in 1549 by Sigismund Augustus, a year before their wedding. After Barbara's death in 1551, the castle fell into disrepair and became a ruin.

Raudondvaris Castle was rebuilt in 1615, and in 1652 it became known as the "High-Red Courtyard" or "Red Manor", which in Lithuanian sounds like Raudondvaris. The owner of the estate was hetman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Janusz Radziwill. After his death, the estate passed to his brother Boguslav, who in 1653-1664 rebuilt the palace, and in this form the castle appears before us today - a rectangular, two-storey building of red brick, with a corner tower.

In 1819, the family of counts Tyshkevich acquires the estate together with the castle, which was later destroyed by Russian troops in 1831. The restoration of the castle took place in 1856-1877, according to the project of the architect L. Anikinis. In 1923 the estate passed to the Republic of Lithuania and there was a children's shelter. And only in 1962-1967, the architectural ensemble was restored according to the project of architects S. Cherkut and V. Jurkstas. The estate has a collection dedicated to the Tyszkiewicz family and Juozas Naujalis. Juozas Naujalis is one of the first specialists in the field of Lithuanian music, the first Lithuanian writer about music.