Raudone Castle

Graužėnai, Lithuania

Raudonė Castle construction works started in late 16th century, during the reign of King Sigismund II August. A new renaissance castle was built on the ruins of the old one by a German knight, Hieronymus Krispin-Kirschenstein. The castle has since been rebuilt many times. The 18th century Polish owners of the Raudone estate, the family Olędzki (Olendzki) h. Rawicz 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 Sophia Waxell (a Zubov) and her Portuguese husband from Madeira, José Carlos de Faria e Castro. The original castle is the setting of an East Prussian legend known as 'The White Maiden of the Bayersburg'.

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Founded: 16th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Lithuania

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Artem Afanasiev (7 months ago)
Not really a “castle”, but rather a brick manor with a tower. You can climb to the top of the tower for view of the river. Overall nothing unique about this place
Ruth Martus (8 months ago)
More of an art gallery than much history. Still a very nice excursion with family, quite a big climb to the tower but amazing views. Few souvenir places, one inside the castle one outside. 2 eateries on the castle grounds and ample parking. Nice surrounding area also.
TheEvil010monkey (8 months ago)
Very good exterior with very sad interior. Basically, the tower is the only thing worth visiting inside - very good view. The rest of the castle is a bit disappointing. You can see the traces of a former "soviet" school. Since the price is dirt cheap, go for the view, skip the museum part. Hopefully they will renovate the place inside. If you are after the castle Interior, go to the Panemune Castle - only 10km away, way more interesting.
Martin Palm (2 years ago)
Nice castle with great views from its tower. Castle with several things to see both around the castle and the park adjacent and also inside. Outside, you have the park as mentioned that is kept in very good condition. Inside you have the main attraction with the tower and also some smaller exhibitions. The cost for entry is 1,5€ regular and 1€ discounted, that is very fair for what you get to experience. And you get great views from up top of the tower. A thing to note though is that if you're afraid of heights then the stairs leading up the tower might be a bit hard for you. Since the stairs are not exactly the safest and are quite narrow, especially if people are going up and down at the same time. Free parking is available right outside the castle, but you might need to park a bit questionable if there are many cars.
Ana Lu Novoa (3 years ago)
Beautiful historical site. Worth visiting
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