Plungė Manor
Plungė Manor is a former Ogiński residential manor in Plungė.[1][2] Oginski was a Lithuanian diplomat, and polish composer. It now harbors the Samogitian (Žemaitija in Lithuanian) art museum.
| Plungė Manor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Neo-Renaissance |
| Town or city | Plungė |
| Country | Lithuania |
| Completed | 1879 |
| Client | Michał Ogiński |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Karl Lorenz |
History
The Plungė manor has been mentioned since 1565. In 1873 Zubov family sold the estate to Michał Ogiński.[3] The main mansion was ordered to be built by the Ogiński family in 1879, in a neo-gothic style. (Architect Karlas Lorencas) This was Oginski residential home. Through 1873–1902 the Ogińskiai mansion had a music school. The palace had a large and rich library, established family museum. After Oginski's death all the wealth have spread throughout the world. After World War I the palace has suffered from fire. The manor was reconstructed and restored in 1961.[4]
Today the manor houses Samogitian Art Museum.
Manor Park
The famous Plungė park was established at around the middle of the eighteenth century. The area of the park is about 143 acres. (apx. 0.6 km2 The park is planted in the riversides of the river Babrungas. Nowadays it is one of the most remarcable and valuable compounded parks of Lithuania.[5]
Oak of the Thunder God
In the borders of the manor park, grows a huge oak, called the oak of the Thunder God, or Perkūnas in Lithuanian, from ancient pagan beliefs. Legend tells that priestess Galinda stoked a sacred fire near this oak. One day her lover went forth to war against the Crusaders to defend his homeland nation. Sadly, he never returned. The chief priest, seeing Galinda’s tears and heartache, began to teach her that only a sacred fire can quench her earthly pain. Once, when Galinda was weeping under the oak, a thunder struck the tree. Oak shook greatly, some soil has poured into its trunk – and soon the flower of incredible beauty has sprouted out of the trunk of the oak. Since then people started to call it on behalf of Thunder God. Some believe that the huge oak that grows in the park is the same one from the legend. It was declared a National Monument.
References
- Plungės dvaras šiandien ir vakar (in Lithuanian)
- Plungė Manor photos (miestai.net) (in Lithuanian)
- Kelionių po Lietuvą kryptis: išskirtiniai Plungės dvaro rūmai (in Lithuanian)
- MUKIENĖ, Danutė et al. Žemaičių dailės muziejus. Vilnius: Žemaičių kultūros draugija, 1997, p. 137
- MUKIENĖ, Danutė et al. Žemaičių dailės muziejus. Vilnius: Žemaičių kultūros draugija, 1997, p. 136