Exhibition routes

The Representative Apartments of Panemunė Castle were the main spaces dedicated to receptions and daily life for the Gelgaudai nobility, who ruled Panemunė Castle from 1759 to 1832. Many manors in Lithuania were renovated during the 19th century, making Panemunė Castle’s representative apartments, reminiscent of the times of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, uniquely preserved and allowing visitors to experience the daily life of Lithuania’s old nobility.

When Antanas Anupras Gelgaudas acquired Panemunė Castle, later becoming the governor of Žemaitija—a region within Lithuania—he renovated the castle. Instead of the closed castle, the northern wing was demolished to create a French-style honor courtyard known as “cour d’honneur.” The southern wing was also planned following the French model, housing the representative apartments.

The representative apartments, accessed by stairs from the vestibule to the second floor, consisted of the following rooms:

• The Yellow Room (anteroom)
• The Heavenly Salon
• The Salon of Twelve Columns
• The Pink Cabinet (boudoir)
• The Gallery
• The Dining Room
• The Sideboard
• The Banquet Hall

The surviving fragments of wall paintings (50-70%) in Panemunė Castle’s representative apartments largely testify to the decorative styles of Classicism, Empire, and Biedermeier:

• Classicism painters drew inspiration from the newly discovered ancient Roman decor in 18th century Italy, often faithfully replicating ornamentation and rhythm, though not always emphasizing the meanings behind the motifs used.
• The Empire style, popularized in the early 19th century by artists from Napoleon Bonaparte’s court in France, occasionally highlighted ideas of power and authority through small ornamental or symbolic details. Both styles coexisted in interiors, merging into a harmonious unity.
• The cozy vision of family life began spreading in the 1820s to 1840s from German regions—Prussia and Austria. This period is now known as the Biedermeier style. The era also coincided with the popularization of horticultural ideas across Europe, which Biedermeier creators applied to wall paintings and the creation of a new type of furniture. Many surviving elements of Panemunė Castle’s interior decoration directly allude to garden art.

Panemunė Castle’s Kitchen is a unique exhibition that introduces the features of late 18th-century manor kitchens in Lithuania.

The kitchen in the southern wing of the castle was established in the second half of the 18th century during the rule of the Gelgaudai family. Archaeologists have discovered traces of an earlier kitchen in the old Eperješai residence, located in the eastern wing of the castle (restoration works for this wing are planned).

The Gelgaudai family’s kitchen may have been established according to the trends of the new French cuisine, known as “cuisine nouvelle,” which began spreading in Lithuania from the mid-18th century onwards. Kitchens, often separate buildings known as “kitchen offices” in Lithuania, were used to prepare food for noble families and guests. These spaces often housed chefs and their assistants. Although integrated into the overall castle structure, Panemunė Castle’s kitchen layout is characteristic of kitchens found in other manors.

The kitchen consists of:

• The main kitchen area, known as “kuknia,”
• The bakery, known as “piekarnė,”
• The food storage room, known as “spižarnė,” which includes an exposition of a Pharmacy,
• The kitchen chamber, known as “kuknios stancija.”

Sounds intriguing? We await your visit to the kitchen exhibition to uncover these archaic secrets of Lithuanian manor kitchens!

Panemunė Castle originally had four towers; currently, two remain. We invite you to climb one of them and enjoy views of Panemunė Castle’s park and Panemunių Regional Park from a height of 26.5 meters. The tower consists of seven floors and a cellar.

Legendary Dungeon

On the ground floor of the tower, through a hole in the floor, you can see a dungeon almost six meters deep. During the early stages of the castle’s development, this dungeon may have served as a prison. Throughout the tour, you’ll hear several legends about this mystical place.

Gelgaudas’ Library

On the second floor of the tower was Gelgaudas’ library—the private apartment of the castle’s owner, consisting of four rooms: a vestibule, bedroom, wardrobe, and library. Today, this historic residence of the castle’s owner is divided into two parts—you can visit the wardrobe and library by climbing the tower, while the vestibule and bedroom have been transformed into a hotel room where you can stay overnight.

Panoramic Viewpoint

From Gelgaudas’ library, after climbing an additional five floors, you’ll reach a height of 26.5 meters, where you can enjoy panoramic views of Panemunė Castle’s park and Panemunių Regional Park.