The Tiškevičiai Palace, Tiskevičius Palace ( lt, Tiškevičių rūmai), or Tyszkiewicz Palace ( pl, pałac Tyszkiewiczów) is a

Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

style building in

Palanga Palanga (; bat-smg, Palonga; pl, Połąga; german: Polangen) is a seaside resort town in western Lithuania, on the shore of the Baltic Sea. Palanga is the busiest summer resort in Lithuania and has sandy beaches (18 km, 11 miles long ...

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), 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. Lithuania ...

, built for the Tyszkiewicz family. The construction was started in 1893 and finished in 1897. The palace is surrounded by a park with ponds, fountains, and collections of rare plants. Since 1963 the palace has housed the

Palanga Amber Museum The Palanga Amber Museum ( lt, Palangos gintaro muziejus), near the Baltic Sea in Palanga, Lithuania, is a branch of the Lithuanian Art Museum. It is housed in the restored 19th-century Tiškevičiai Palace and is surrounded by the Palanga Botan ...

and is surrounded by the

Palanga Botanical Garden The Palanga Amber Museum ( lt, Palangos gintaro muziejus), near the Baltic Sea in Palanga, Lithuania, is a branch of the Lithuanian Art Museum. It is housed in the restored 19th-century Tiškevičiai Palace and is surrounded by the Palanga Botan ...

History

Tyszkiewicz family member, Feliks Tyszkiewicz, contacted famous

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

architect

Franz Heinrich Schwechten Franz Heinrich Schwechten (12 August 1841 – 11 August 1924) was one of the most famous German architects of the Wilhelmine era, and contributed to the development of historicist architecture. Life Schwechten was born in Cologne, the son of a d ...

to construct a new palace; their old estate was a wooden manor on the banks of Rąžė River. The first stage of construction lasted until 1897, consisting of the terrace and main residence building. The two-story building had regular form with an arched terrace, decorated with sculptures from

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Although mainly Italian

neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

in style, it also has neoclassical and

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

elements. Because in 1907 his wife, Antonina, delivered a healthy baby boy (Stanislaw) after a worrisome pregnancy, Feliks commissioned a sculpture of the blessing

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

for the front of the palace. While the creator of this sculpture is unclear, there is evidence it was made by

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

artist

Bertel Thorvaldsen Bertel Thorvaldsen (; 19 November 1770 – 24 March 1844) was a Danes, Danish and Icelanders, Icelandic Sculpture, sculptor medallist, medalist of international fame, who spent most of his life (1797–1838) in Italy. Thorvaldsen was born in ...

or his apprentice. In 1948 the religious sculpture was torn down under the instructions by the Lithuanian communist authorities. It was reconstructed based on surviving photographs in 1993. Almost a decade after the construction of the palace, the owners started to construct a chapel near by, also designed by Schwechten. The palace gardens were designed by

Édouard François André Édouard is both a French given name and a surname, equivalent to Edward in English. Notable people with the name include: * Édouard Balladur (born 1929), French politician * Édouard Boubat (1923–1999), French photographer * Édouard Colonne (1 ...

, French horticulturalist and

landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manageme ...

, and his son. André started work on gardens in 1895, taking three years to complete the work.Zita Genienė
Palangos Parkas
Retrieved 2007-04-03 In preparing the land for the gardens, old trees were cut down and new species were brought in. Some locals refused to cut down trees, as they thought they were sacred. In 1916, an attempt at palace expansion was started, with Heinrich Schwechten being requested to prepare designs for expanding the upper floors and

veranda A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''veran ...

, but these projects were never completed. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the palace was damaged in German bombardment.Siedlecka, ''Połąga i okolice'', p. 82 After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the palace was nationalized and suffered from neglect. In 1957, palace renovations were conducted by Alfredas Brusokas, with the building serving for the Lithuanian Art Union. In the 1960s, the palace and surrounding gardens received attention form architect Kazys Šešelgis, who with associates started preparing plans to renovate the palace and surrounding gardens. In 1963, it officially became the Amber Museum. Countess Antonina, her son, Stanislaw, his wife Wanda, and their daughter, Renia were forced to flee from their Palanga home during World War II. When it became clear that they could never safely return, they accepted resettlement in Canada. Count Stanislaw bequeathed his share of the family estate to his wife Wanda Tyszkiewicz. The other heir of the Tiškevičiai (

Tyszkiewicz Tyszkiewicz is the name of the Tyszkiewicz family, a Polish–Lithuanian magnate noble family of Ruthenian origin. The Lithuanian equivalent is Tiškevičius; it is frequently transliterated from Russian and Belarusian as Tyshkevich. Other peopl ...

) family, count Alfred Tyszkiewicz (1913–2008), Stanislaw's younger brother, was also forced to leave Lithuania during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he donated his share of the palace to the city of Palanga. On May 22, 1997, he was honored with the title of ''Honorary Citizen of Palanga''.

Amber Museum

The museum's collection of

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In Ma ...

comprises about 28,000 pieces, of which about 15,000 contain inclusions of insects, spiders, or plants. About 4,500 pieces of amber are exhibited; many of these are items of artwork and jewelry.Palangos gintaro muziejus
Antanas Tranyzas: The Amber Museum of Palanga
Retrieved on 2007-04-03 The museum holds the third largest amber specimen in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, the "Sun Stone", weighing over 3.5 kilograms, which has been stolen twice.Vakarų ekspresas
Theft of "The Sun Stone"
Retrieved on 2007-03-29 The cultural and artistic exhibits of museum currently include a 15th-century ring, a 16th-century cross, and amber jewelry from the past four centuries, as well as a number of modern decorations.

Gallery

Image:Tiškevičiai Palace.Hall.Palanga.jpg, Palace hall project Image:Palanga garden by Édouard André.jpg, Plan of the gardens Image:GintaroMuziejus.jpg, Blessing Jesus statue Image:Gintaro muziejus en Palanga 2.jpg, Fountain in summer Image:Palanga Amber Museum (July 30, 2015).jpg, Flowers garden in front of the palace

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tiskeviciai Palace, Palanga Houses completed in 1897 Palaces in Lithuania Tourist attractions in Klaipėda County Buildings and structures in Palanga

History

Amber Museum

See also

Gallery

References

Bibliography