Restoration

The castle changes owners. In search of a new purpose

  • In 1919–1939, the Republic of Lithuania carried out the Land Reform, during which the great estates suffered particularly – they were left with only 80 hectares of land each. In 1924, the Panemunė estate (a manor with 4 manor houses, 292 hectares) was taken over by the state from Countess Marija Puslovskytė Tiškevičienė. The traditional activity of the manor owners in Panemunė – agriculture – ceased.
  • The search for a new purpose for the castle began. There were various ideas: at first, it was thought to install an observatory, and next to the castle, to build a new Salesian congregation center with a college of aspirants. Unfortunately, these projects remained unimplemented, only part of the manor house buildings were adapted for temporary needs. Salesian activity stopped with the outbreak of World War II.
  • In the 1950s research began, it was decided to establish a tourist base in the castle. It was proposed to restore the Renaissance ensemble of the castle of the beginning of the 17th century or the image of both early stages of development (Renaissance and Baroque), but it was proposed to demolish the Classicist period. The project was not financed.
  • In the 1970s, it was proposed to establish a creative house for scientists from higher education institutions of the LSSR in the castle. In the 1978−1979 project for the restoration and adaptation of the castle, it was still proposed to rebuild the Renaissance castle, but it was already intended to conserve and restore the Classicist wall paintings. However, no specific work was undertaken.
Photo by Karolis Mekas. 1954-1956. Trakai history museum.

The first decade: a new vision of the castle – the creative and recreational house of the Vilnius Academy of Arts

  • On March 12, 1982, by the decision of the Executive Committee of the Jurbarkas District Council of People’s Deputies, Panemunė Castle and Park were transferred to the State Institute of Arts of the Lithuanian SSR.
  • Although the owner changed, the idea of ​​adapting the castle to the purpose of the creative house of the higher education institutions of the LSSR still remained at the beginning (head – R. Anusevičius, author – Žybartas Simonavičius). Various studies were continued, and a sketch project for restoration and adaptation was prepared. According to the adaptation project, it was planned to rebuild the northern building, and to equip the western building with residential premises and a catering establishment.
  • After proofreading the project in 1986, work began in 1987. In the first stage, the western building with southwestern and northwestern towers began to be equipped. The basements of the northern building have been prepared for the installation of a boiler room. In the second stage, it was planned to restore the southern and eastern buildings and rebuild the northern building.
  • In 1989−1990, attention was drawn to the fact that there were inaccuracies and errors in the project, so it was decided to form a new restoration-adaptation task and adapt the castle for a narrower purpose – the creative and recreational home of the Vilnius Academy of Arts.
  • In 1989, after the management of the castle and the author’s supervision were transferred to architect Liudmila Marija Perevičienė, and after the architect Elena Šarkauskaitė was appointed as the author of the architectural part, the restoration and adaptation project was adjusted in 1991.
  • After adjusting the project, the idea of ​​​​the western building to establish a hotel with a cafe there was essentially preserved. It was already proposed to preserve the appearance of the southern building and adapt it to the creative needs of the VDA. It was planned to equip the ground floor and basement with workshops for artists and exhibit the castle interior, and on the second floor – exhibition and ceremonial halls and recreation rooms, a cloakroom and a toilet.

The second decade: restoration of the eastern block volume

  • In 1994, there was a rush to save the rapidly deteriorating eastern block. Gražina Jarmalienė and restorer Rimgaudas Miliukštis prepared a project aimed at strengthening the structures and restoring the volume.
  • The project was implemented in 1998, but the building was not completed in time. The volume remains in this form today.

The third decade: adaptation of the western building to the function of a hotel and cafes

  • In 2004, restoration work was resumed, a feasibility study and a project for the restoration and adaptation of the castle for tourism purposes were prepared (AB “Kauno PRPI”, project manager – Diana Pikšrienė).
  • Since 2009, several stages of castle maintenance have been carried out in Panemunė Castle, using EU support, which allowed some of the premises to be adapted for cultural activities and tourism purposes. After the successful implementation of the project “Adaptation of Panemunė Castle for Cultural Tourism: Reconstruction of the Western and Part of the Southern Building with the North-West and South-West Towers” (project implementation manager – Vidutė Povilauskaitė, design work manager – architect Gražina Jarmalienė), the western building with the South-West and North-West towers was repaired and put into operation.
  • In 2014, a hotel and restaurant were located in the western building, a conference hall (the historic castle banquet hall) was located in part of the southern building, and the seven-story tower (26.5 m) was adapted as an observation tower, from which not only impressive views of the Castle Landscape Architecture Reserve open, but also a much wider panorama of the Panemunė Regional Park.
  • Thanks to another project “Panemunė Castle Southern Building Maintenance Works and Adaptation to Public Needs”, part of the premises of the first floor of the southern building were renovated. These, the former 18th century castle kitchen rooms, have been adapted as an exhibition space of historical cuisine and an educational classroom. This is a unique, only exhibition of its kind, presenting the architecture and interior of 18th century manor kitchens. Based on archaeological finds, research and analogues, two ovens were restored in the bakery, and a brazier in the main kitchen room. Using interactive tools (sound, image, smell), a unique visiting experience is created.

The fourth decade: adaptation of the southern building to the function of a museum-gallery

  • In 2012, a project for the renovation of the southern building of the castle palace was prepared (led by architect Rimas Grigas), based on which the latest project was launched in 2019 – “Renovation works and adaptation of the Southern Building of Panemunė Castle to public needs”.
  • The project aimed to reveal the valuable historical – memorial, architectural and artistic – features of the castle, intended to promote the accessibility of new cultural services and increase the number of participants in cultural activities.
  • After the restoration of the southern building of Panemunė Castle, which contains the most important historical representative spaces, from July 2021, the creation of an interactive exhibition and various cultural services began.
  • In 2021, the first stage (out of four planned) of adapting the park for visiting was completed.

The fifth decade – adaptation of the eastern building to the creative and recreational function of the VDA community

  • In 2020, a project for the renovation of the eastern building of the castle palace was also prepared (led by architect Rimas Grigas), which includes:
    • Establishing a creative and recreational space for the VDA community;
    • Completing the renovation of the basement of the southern building, which is intended to house the VDA community club;
    • Installing storage facilities for museum collections in the attic space;
    • Continuing work on adapting the park for visitors.