Renavas manor is a former residential manor in

Renavas Renavas (Samogitian dialect, Samogitian: ''Rėnavs'', ) is a village in Mažeikiai District Municipality, Lithuania. It is located on the left bank of Varduva river, nearby the road Židikai-Seda, Lithuania, Seda. The village is known for its 16th ...

village,

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

on the bank of

Varduva Varduva is a river in northwestern Lithuania. Its length is . It is a left tributary of Venta (river), Venta; their confluence is on the Lithuania–Latvia border. Its origins and upper reaches are located within the Žemaitija National Park. Its ...

river. Currently it is a museum. In the manor's park grows the thickest

Norway spruce ''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, 9–17 cm long. It is very clo ...

in Lithuania. The manor is valued for its original interior. Renavas Manor is one of the main tourist attractions in

Mažeikiai District Municipality Mažeikiai District Municipality (, ) is located in the north-west of Lithuania, on the River Venta in Telšiai County. The administrative center of Mažeikiai District is the city of Mažeikiai. Its territory of is composed of of towns and ...

History

The estate was first mentioned on 26 December 1589 as Gaurai manor in the inventory of Luoba's and Gaureliai's manors. It was stated in the inventory that the estate was leased to Burba brothers. The mansion building at the time was wooden with a thatched roof.

The von Rönne Family

At the end of the 17th century the estate was purchased by French-born German family Rönne (Renė) from

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

. The family was known in Lithuania since the beginning of the 15th century, having been granted permission to reside in Lithuania from the Archbishop of Riga. They owned numerous manor houses including: Gargsdai, Hlinowka, Obakie, Zawierz, Wensau, Puhren, Oxeln, Bershof, Hasenpoth, Wilkajen, New Sahten and Old Appusen.

Stefan Karl von Rönne (c1678-1753)

Stefan Karl von Rönne (c1678-1753) was the first owner of Renavas from the von Rönne family. He bought Renavas and, together with his son, Mikolaj (b.c1720), built a wooden chapel on the estate. In 1758, Stefan von Rönne's daughter, Johanna von Rönne, married

Franciszek Piłsudski Franciszek Piłsudski (1713-1791) Piłsudski coat of arms, was a Lithuanian nobleman, Colonel and Commander in the Samogitian division of the Grand Ducal Lithuanian army, Deputy cup-bearer, member of the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonw ...

(1707-1791),

Podczaszy Deputy cup-bearer (, ) was since the 13th century a court office in Poland and later in Lithuania. Deputy cup-bearer was the deputy of the cup-bearer, but at the time was more important than his superior. Since the 14th–16th century an honorabl ...

(Deputy Cup Bearer) and member of Parliament.

Mikolaj von Rönne

Stefan's son, Mikolaj von Rönne, inherited the estate and became a

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in the

Imperial Russian Army The Imperial Russian Army () was the army of the Russian Empire, active from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was organized into a standing army and a state militia. The standing army consisted of Regular army, regular troops and ...

. In 1753 the manor became the main residence of the family and in 1780 the estate was renamed Renavas.

Felix I von Rönne (1770-1827)

Renavas was then inherited by Mikolaj's son, Felix I von Rönne (1770-1827), who was Chamberlain of the

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

Court in 1792 and in 1799 received the medal of St. Stanislaus. He was awarded with the title

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

Antoni von Rönne (c1795-1869)

Felix's son, now Baron Antoni von Rönne (c1795-1869) inherited the estate from his father. Antoni received his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

from

Vilnius University Vilnius University ( Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus universitetas'') is a public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher education institutions in Central and Ea ...

, and also studied at

Tartu University The University of Tartu (UT; ; ) is a Public university, public research university located in the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is also the largest and oldest university in the country.Marshall of the Nobility of

Telšiai Telšiai (; Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Telšē'') is a city in Lithuania with about 21,499 inhabitants. It is the capital of Telšiai County and Samogitia region, and it is located on the shores of Lake Mastis. Telšiai is one of the ol ...

, in contact with the representatives of the whole of Europe's

elite In political and sociological theory, the elite (, from , to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful or wealthy people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. Defined by the ...

culture, belonged to the Masons, was highly regarded in science and helped Vladimir Gadon (1775-1842) in his research in 1794. Between 1812 and 1819 Renavas was administered by the agronomis
Mykolas Očepovskis
- one of the pioneers in agricultural sciences in

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. On the initiative of Antoni Rönne in 1830-1833 the present-day Renavas Manor ensemble was built on a high slope at a picturesque site near the bend in the

Varduva River Varduva is a river in northwestern Lithuania. Its length is . It is a left tributary of Venta; their confluence is on the Lithuania–Latvia border. Its origins and upper reaches are located within the Žemaitija National Park. Its largest tribu ...

. Ponds were excavated in the park, and stone steps and benches were made. Antoni Rönne is remembered for his

philanthropy Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...

, which included being the patron of schools and sponsoring the widow Viktoria Narutavičienė and her two sons - Stanislovas and Gabrielius. Antoni Rönne hired the teacher,

publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...

and

lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons and the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines: * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionary, dictionaries. * The ...

Laurynas Ivinskis Laurynas Ivinskis (c. 1810-1881) was a Lithuanian teacher, publisher, translator and lexicographer, from a Samogitian noble family. He is notable for a series of annual calendars published between 1847 and 1877, in which he summarized the daily ...

(1810-1881) to teach the children. They would go on to become significant historical figures for both Poland and Lithuania:

Gabriel Narutowicz Gabriel Józef Narutowicz (; 29 March 1865 – 16 December 1922) was a Polish people, Polish professor of hydroelectric engineering and politician who served as the first president of Poland from 11 December 1922 until Assassination of Gabriel Na ...

(1865-1922) was elected the first

Polish President The president of Poland ( ), officially the president of the Republic of Poland (), is the head of state of Poland. His or her prerogatives and duties are determined in the Constitution of Poland. The president jointly exercises the executive ...

, while

Stanisław Narutowicz Stanisław Narutowicz ( ; 2 September 1862 – 31 December 1932) was a lawyer and politician, one of the 20 signatories of the Act of Independence of Lithuania. His brother was the first president of Poland Gabriel Narutowicz. Born into a fami ...

(1862-1932) became the signatory of the

Act of Independence of Lithuania The Act of Independence of Lithuania () or the Act of February 16th, also the Lithuanian Resolution on Independence (),The signed document is actually titled simply , meaning 'decision' or 'resolution', and it "proclaims the restoration of the ...

. Renavas Manor is associated with the

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

of 1863. Here a rebel party was gathered and led by Liudžinskis, the steward of the manor. The estate was famous for its garden and about 18 hectares of English-style park.

Felix von Rönne (1800-1844)

After the death of Antoni von Rönne (who had no male heirs), the estate was inherited by Antoni's brother, Felix von Rönne (1800-1844). Felix renovated the interior of the mansion. Surviving from this period are impressive library furnishings (ceiling-high wooden cupboards and a curved cast-iron stairs leading to a gallery encircling the upper part of the room), white-tile ovens in the hall of mirrors, and a fireplace in the vestibule.Butvilaitė, Rasa and Paknys, Raimondas (2014). ''Lithuania's Castles, Estates, Mansions''. R. Paknio Leidykla. p. 174. .

Eugene von Rönne (1830-1895)

Renavas then went to Felix's son Eugene von Rönne (1830-1895). Eugene Rönne (1830-1895) loved to travel, and wrote poems in

. In 1878, he published a book "''Poezye i prace dramatyczne''" in

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

. By this time, the library at Renavas was one of the most largest and most valuable in Lithuania. Topics included philosophy, natural sciences and history along with many books of fiction - this may have been influenced by the Baron's own love of writing poems. In1880 Eugene married Gabriela Maria Ogińska (1830-1912) - granddaughter of

Michał Kleofas Ogiński Michał Kleofas Ogiński (25 September 1765 – 15 October 1833) was a Polish diplomat and politician, Grand Treasurer of Lithuania, and a senator of Tsar Alexander I. He was also a composer of late Classical and early Romantic music. Early ...

(1765-1833), former owner of

Rietavas Rietavas (; Samogitian: ''Rėitavs''; ) is a town in Lithuania on the Jūra River. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 3,979. It is the capital of Rietavas municipality. The town is famous for building the first power station to ...

. The manor also held an active cultural life. Gabriela Maria Ogińska's cousin's (

Michał Mikołaj Ogiński Michał Mikołaj Ogiński (; April 25, 1849 – March 24, 1902) was a Polish-Lithuanian noble, marshal of the Telšiai county's nobility, cultural activist. Family and life Michał Mikołaj Ogińsk was a son of and Olga Kalinowska of Wielka Kam ...

) orchestras performed more than once, and the manor hosted prominent people including painters, writers and politicians. In 1877, Eugene renovated the palace. The metal porch (inscribed with the initials of his father) was probably presented by Eugene in 1880, on the occasion of the

centenary A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century. Notable events Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: * Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

of the naming of the estate Renavas (1780). In 1890 the masonry buildings mentioned in the Renavas Estate inventory included: the palace, barn, stables,

orangery An orangery or orangerie is a room or dedicated building, historically where orange and other fruit trees are protected during the winter, as a large form of greenhouse or conservatory. In the modern day an orangery could refer to either ...

and water mill. Wooden buildings included: an administrative building, servants’ house, laundry building and others.

The Mielżński Family

After the death of Eugene von Rönne, Renavas was inherited by Eugene's sister's (Aniela Helena von Rönne, married to Count Stanislaw Mielżński) son, Count Felix Mielżński (1871-1910) in 1895.

Count Felix Mielżński (1871-1910)

Felix Mielżński significantly altered the interior of the manor house, giving it elements of late

Historicism Historicism is an approach to explaining the existence of phenomena, especially social and cultural practices (including ideas and beliefs), by studying the process or history by which they came about. The term is widely used in philosophy, ant ...

( Neoclassical, Empirical, Neo-Rococo) and individual examples of

Modern style The Modern Style is a style of architecture, art, and design that first emerged in the United Kingdom in the mid-1880s. It was the first Art Nouveau style worldwide, and it represents the evolution of the Arts and Crafts movement which was nativ ...

He also constructed decorative terraces leading to the river and a

pergola A pergola is most commonly used as an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support crossbeams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are t ...

by the east façade. The farm sector was expanded on the north and west side of the estate, new buildings were constructed, and the lower park beyond the Verduva River was restored. The Mielżńskis were particularly proud of their collection of

porcelain Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...

ware and artworks made in European cities, as well as their library. It contained over 1,000 volumes of books (most of them nicely bound, in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

). In the late 19th century, Renavas won fame by its garden and hothouses, in which

silk worms ''Bombyx mori'', commonly known as the domestic silk moth, is a moth species belonging to the family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of ''Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. Silkworms are the larvae of silk moths. The silkworm is of ...

were bred.

Stanisława Mielżńska (c1869-1958), and Maria Janušova Zdiechovska

Felix Mielżński's widow, Stanisława (c1869-1958), and her daughter Maria Janušova Zdiechovska were the last owners of Renavas Manor. In the 1940s, the estate was nationalized by the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

government, and its archive was taken to

, where in the first days of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

it burned. Renavas had been in the von Rönne/ Mielżński family for 250 years.

The Soviet Period

After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the manor housed the administration of a

kolkhoz A kolkhoz ( rus, колхо́з, a=ru-kolkhoz.ogg, p=kɐlˈxos) was a form of collective farm in the Soviet Union. Kolkhozes existed along with state farms or sovkhoz. These were the two components of the socialized farm sector that began to eme ...

, library and cultural house.

Renovations

Since the 1970s, the Institute for the Restoration of Monuments has carried out historic, architectural and other research at the renovated palace buildings and the park. For the first time in 1985 the manor was renovated.Istorija ''renavodvaras.lt''
/ref>

External links

Official website
(in Lithuanian only)

Gallery

File:Renavas manor.jpg, Renavas Manor in the 19th century File:Renavas.JPG, Cast iron pavilion File:Renavas3.JPG,

Baluster A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...

File:Renavas4.JPG,

Pergola A pergola is most commonly used as an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support crossbeams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are t ...

File:Renavas5.JPG, Manor from the park File:Renavas6.JPG, Bridge over Varduva File:Renavo eglė.JPG, The largest Norway spruce in Lithuania File:Renavas9.JPG, Lime tree File:Renavas7.JPG, Manor from the Varduva river File:Renavas11.JPG, Manor buildings File:Renavas Manor 2018 1.jpg, Manor in 2018 File:Damų salonas Renavo dvare.jpg, Interior of the palace File:Biblioteka Renavo dvare.jpg, Library in the palace

References

{{coord, 56, 13, 40, N, 22, 3, 25, E, region:LT_type:landmark, display=title Manor houses in Lithuania