Norviliskes Castle, Norviliškės, Lithuania

Norviliškės Castle (a former monastery, also called Norviliškės Manor) is a Renaissance style castle. It was first mentioned in 1586. In 1617 the owners donated part of the real estate land to Franciscans. Around 1745 they built a monastery and a church in Renaissance style. The monastery was reconstructed at the end of the 18th century by Kazimieras Kaminskis. After the November Uprising of 1831, Russian authorities closed the monastery and turned it into barracks for soldiers, and later to a boarding school for girls. The Church of St. Mary Compassionate Mother was closed at the same time as the monastery. A new wooden church was built in 1929.

For a long time the former manor stood abandoned. In 2005, reconstruction was started by an entrepreneur, Giedrius Klimkevičius, from Vilnius. The project is supported by funds from the PHARE program. The hopes are that the Norviliškės Castle will become a tourist attraction. It offers hosting for business conferences or weddings, hunting, shooting practices, and other activities, including music festivals.

References:

Wikipedia

Castles and fortifications in Lithuania

User Reviews

Linas Gutauskas (3 years ago)
Nice and very calm place. Belarus is just a few meters away. When we visited - it was closed.

Marek Kluka (3 years ago)
Amazing location and possibly big future wait for this place, but at this moment it looks abandoned and needs further investment

Ervinas Kazlauskas (5 years ago)
Really nice castle on the Lithuanian - Belarusia border to get there you'll need a car so if you plan to visit it plan a one day trip with additional places to visit throughout the trip because you won't spend much time seeing the castle ?

Martynas (5 years ago)
Beautiful, interesting and romantic place. Surrounded by Belarus on three sides. Suitable for a quiet rest. Very tasty food.

Dovilė Plančiūnienė (5 years ago)
Beautiful castle in an interesting location, on the border with Belarus. There is also a nice wooden church nearby. However not much to see around the place.

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The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.

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The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.

Norviliskes Castle

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