Raudone Castle
Encyclopedia
Raudonė Castle is in Raudonė
, Lithuania
. Castle construction works started in late 16th century. In the 16th century the castle belonged to King Sigismund II August. A new renaissance castle was built on the ruins of the old one by a German knight, Krispin de Kirschenstein. The castle has since been rebuilt many times. The 18th century Polish owners of the Raudone estate, the family Olędzki (Olendzki) h. Rawicz (members of szlachta
, general sejm
and senate) commissioned Wawrzyniec Gucewicz with a renovation of the castle. The next owner, the Russian Prince Platon Zubov
, acquired the estate in the first half of the 19th century and his family transformed the castle yet again. Their architect was Cesare Anichini. Today the building is an example of 19th century neo-Gothic architecture
. Its last private owners were Sofia Vaksel (a Zubov
) and her Madeirian husband, José Carlos de Faria e Castro.
The original castle is the setting of an East Prussia
n legend known as "The White Maiden of the Bayersburg".
Raudone
Raudonė is a town on the Neman River in Tauragė County, Lithuania. The town is primarily known for its castle and a large park complex.- History :...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. Castle construction works started in late 16th century. In the 16th century the castle belonged to King Sigismund II August. A new renaissance castle was built on the ruins of the old one by a German knight, Krispin de Kirschenstein. The castle has since been rebuilt many times. The 18th century Polish owners of the Raudone estate, the family Olędzki (Olendzki) h. Rawicz (members of szlachta
Szlachta
The szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
, general sejm
General sejm
The general sejm was the parliament of Poland for four centuries from the late 15th until the late 18th century.-Genesis:The power of early sejms grew during the period of Poland's fragmentation , when the power of individual rulers waned and that of various councils and wiece grew...
and senate) commissioned Wawrzyniec Gucewicz with a renovation of the castle. The next owner, the Russian Prince Platon Zubov
Platon Zubov
Prince Platon Alexandrovich Zubov was the last of Catherine the Great's favourites and the most powerful man in Russian Empire during the last years of her reign....
, acquired the estate in the first half of the 19th century and his family transformed the castle yet again. Their architect was Cesare Anichini. Today the building is an example of 19th century neo-Gothic architecture
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
. Its last private owners were Sofia Vaksel (a Zubov
Zubov
Zubov was a Russian noble family which rose to the highest offices of state in the 1790s, when Platon Zubov succeeded Count Orlov and Prince Potemkin as the favourite of Catherine II of Russia....
) and her Madeirian husband, José Carlos de Faria e Castro.
The original castle is the setting of an East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
n legend known as "The White Maiden of the Bayersburg".