The glory and decay of Manor Houses
Lithuania Minor – a turbulent history

Western Lithuania is being shaped by  several cultures. Since the territory has been historically divided between two political entities – Prussia (later German Empire) and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (later Russian Empire), the term Manor House bears two, slightly different connotations in these two historically different parts of Lithuania. In the Prussian part (historical region of Lithuania Minor), a Manor House (Gutshaus) was a mansion of a rich landowner who has accrued his wealth due to the land reform in the Kingdom of Prussia in the early 1800s. Meanwhile, in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (historical region of Samogitia), a Manor House was a country house of landed gentry representing an unreformed feudal society and featuring a wide array of edifice types – from huge nobility palaces to modest wooden residences. Lithuanian castles and manors guaranteed our country’s soldiership, economics and culture for ages. The enlightened persons who lived and created in these buildings helped the country in achieving its goals, maintaining statehood and fighting for their families and the country’s majesty. The brick walls of every castle or manor tell us a legend. All you have to do is listen attentively.

The glory and decay of Manor Houses

Western Lithuania is being shaped by several cultures. Since the territory has been historically divided between two political entities – Prussia (later German Empire) and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (later Russian Empire), the term Manor House bears two, slightly different connotations in these two historically different parts of Lithuania. In the Prussian part (historical region of Lithuania Minor), a Manor House (Gutshaus) was a mansion of a rich landowner who has accrued his wealth due to the land reform in the Kingdom of Prussia in the early 1800s. Meanwhile, in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (historical region of Samogitia), a Manor House was a country house of landed gentry representing an unreformed feudal society and featuring a wide array of edifice types – from huge nobility palaces to modest wooden residences. Lithuanian castles and manors guaranteed our country’s soldiership, economics and culture for ages. The enlightened persons who lived and created in these buildings helped the country in achieving its goals, maintaining statehood and fighting for their families and the country’s majesty. The brick walls of every castle or manor tell us a legend. All you have to do is listen attentively.

Where to visit - Traces of the past – lost places of manorial heritage

The nobility palaces in Palanga, Kretinga and Plungė and the Gutshaus of the Scheu family in Šilutė (Heydekrug) are used as museums whilst most of small residences are neglected and decaying. Just one of them (Vilkėnas) is used for hospitality business.They are valuable cultural heritage monuments witnessing the long-foregone culture of South Baltic landed gentry. Since none of the manor houses belong to the heirs of the former landlord families anymore, and have not been acquired by new private owners, they all have changed their identity. Besides Lene Grigoleit, there are many other family connections of the manors in Lithuania Minor with Germany and of the manors in Samogitia with Poland. Hermann Sudermann was born in Macikai (Gut Matzicken). Heinrich Theodor von Schön (1773–1856), Prussian statesman, governor of the Province of Prussia (West and East Prussia), who assisted in the liberal reforms during the Napoleonic Wars, was born in Šereiklaukis manor (Schreitlaugken).

The lords of manors in Lithuania Minor spoke German whilst the majority of the lords of manors in Samogitia spoke Polish. Almost none of them spoke Lithuanian. The exception were few philanthropists (e.g. Hugo Scheu) and, particularly, impoverished landed gentry, lords of small Samogitian manors who played the pivotal role in preserving the Lithuanian language and facilitating the Lithuanian National Revival in the 19th century. The lords of manors in Lithuania Minor were exclusively Protestants whilst the lords of manors in Samogitia were exclusively Catholic.  In 1882, the first telephone grid in Lithuania was established at Rietavas manor and on 17 April 1892 in Easter, the first electric street lights were turned on in Rietavas manor, park and church. The grand dukes of Lithuania built their palaces, castles and manors already in the 13th century. The earliest remaining residence of the sovereign is Trakai Castle, constructed in the period from the second half of the 14th century to the beginning of the 15th century. There are several residential Renaissance and Baroque style manors and a bigger number of Classicist manor houses. But also there are many lost places, especial in the Region of West Lithuania. Within the Regional Park of Rambynas, visitors may find traces of ruins and former manor estates.