Driving along the Nemunas River reminded me of when I first came to Lithuania in 1994. Daina took me to Panemunė pilis, a picturesque castle that dates back to the 17th century. This time we were headed to Lower Panemunė on the south side of the river to see the remains of a 16th-century estate, built by the Sapiega family, one of the principal noble families of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
We were met by a young couple and their golden Hovawart, which I had mistaken for a Labrador. They bought the estate two years ago and have done a remarkable job cleaning the standing walls and the grounds, revealing this long hidden treasure. It had been white washed during the Soviet era and used as a hospital before falling into ruin. Rasa said few gave the mansion any thought but she and her husband saw there was something special here, and began doing research on their own. Eventually, they managed to attract restoration experts who verified that this was one of several Sapiega estates spread throughout the country, built during the Baroque period. It's in pretty bad shape but the walls are intact and much of the polychromy remains, albeit from a later period.
The roof was long gone, exposing the older Baroque walls. Vytautas had patched the roof over the 19th century addition, built by a transplanted Scot named Fergis, who had taken an Italian wife. How they ended up in Lithuania is anyone's guess. Rasa said he was a stern man, judging from the records they found. He bought the estate not long after the Napoleonic wars from the Tiškevičius family, and had completely remade it, stripping away much of the original polychromy and painting it as he wanted it. You could still see the trompe l-oeil rosettes in the ceiling of what I presumed to be a dining hall.
The most fascinating feature of the interior was a fireplace literally hanging form the second level. The floors had fallen in long ago, which resulted in amazing open views of the mansion. Rasa and Vytautas said they wanted to preserve this appearance, placing a protective roof overhead. They weren't sure how to go about it and were soliciting architects to provide intriguing solutions. I was imagining what kind of roof would be appropriate in this situation and a mirror panel ceiling came to mind, reflecting the plan of the mansion above.
They led us down into the surviving basement below a silicon brick house built during the Soviet era. They found in the records that there was a twin building of the surviving Baroque walls with a gallery between them. They think the vaulted basement extended much further but has long since been buried. What is left is cavern like, beautiful in its archaic nature.
They showed us around the estate, which comprises some 16 hectares. It had been planted as an apple orchard no less than 350 years ago, as they had the apple trees dated, pointing out the oldest one near the end of the orchard. Over 200 apple trees remain. They press the apples in the fall and ferment the juice into a bubbling cider that they hope to market in the near future. Rasa noted the secret to a good cider is a mix of apples - sweet, bitter and sour - not just one type of apple.
It was a very friendly chat, half in Lithuanian, half in English. I could understand most of what she and her husband said in Lithuanian, but unfortunately I'm not very good at speaking the language, so tend to respond in English. We reached the end of the long narrow hill the estate was built upon. From the remnants of an old castle mound, or piliakalnis as they call it in Lithuanian, we could view the Nemunas river in all its glory. Rasa hoped that in time more people would explore the southern side of the river as currently most of the interest is to the north.
Lower Panemunė predated upper Panemunė by several centuries. The town of Zapyškis used to be called Panemunė with a late Gothic chapel that dates back to the 16th century. We had visited it on a previous occasion, taking the small car ferry at Vilkija. The town had been flooded. The church was the only building to survive and has been beautifully restored. A new town was built further inland.
Rasa said tourism has grown now that the mansion is getting more attention. They have made it into an interpretive site. She has gleaned an amazing amount of material from all the experts who have come to examine the ruins, making our comments seem rather inadequate. But, she and her husband are now looking for solutions, not more research. They want to make it into a destination on the south bank of the river. They are in the process of buying a large barn that was part of the estate, hoping to make it into guest rooms.
It is nice that they want to conserve the ruins rather than try to reconstruct the mansion. Part of it is money but they see the beauty in the old walls and don't want to ruin it. She views this as a conservation project. Daina and I couldn't agree more. The walls tell a unique story, stretching back more than 400 years. You want to tell about the various families that owned the estate, the wars that were fought, and how this Lithuanian history has managed to endure both Russian and Soviet occupation.
Like us, Rasa and Vytautas are deeply upset by what is going on in Ukraine, pointing out that the Russians and Soviets were no less vindictive in Lithuania. Moscow has always seen these countries' long history as a direct challenge to its authority.
They gave us a bag full of delicious Antaninis apples, as well as three large pumpkins from their patch. Daina offered to pay for the pumpkins but they said no. It had been a long drive from Vilnius, but one we greatly enjoyed. We said goodbye to their friendly dog, who had been following us everywhere.
On the way back we stopped at Zapyškis. There as a nice little restaurant that we didn't remember from before, enjoying a late lunch with a view to the old Gothic chapel and river. I think it won't be very long before more people take this leisurely drive from Kaunas, which is only 30 minutes away. Vilnius another hour beyond.
Fall is a romantic time in Lithuania, not just for our own memories, but because the country seems ideally suited to the autumn colors. The lower sun brings out all the muted colors in the small towns and estates, which tend toward brick reds and golden ochre. The same in Vilnius and Kaunas. The brisk air also brings out the russet color in our cheeks. A very satisfying day.
We hope to get the project. Daina needs to put together a price estimate for our services, and I thought some conceptual sketches of what we imagine based on our conversation will help too. This type of project brings us closer to the rich history of Lithuania. We will see if we can do something really special.
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