Member manors
Plungė Manor. Duke Mykolas Oginskis Mansion
Parko g. 3A, Plungė
Manager – The Samogitian Art Museum
Dvaro adresas: Parko g. 3A, Plungė, LT-90113
The Samogitian Art Museum (Žemaičiai Art Museum)
As from 1994, Duke Mykolas Oginskis (Michał Ogiński) Palace houses the Samogitian Art Museum which collects and exhibits museum valuables reflecting cultural and historical diversity of the Samogitian region as well as preserves and cherishes the traditions of Mykolas Oginskis’ Manor. Expositions invite visitors to learn about the pieces of the 20th-21st century professional fine arts which were donated to the museum by the Samogitian artists living in Lithuania and abroad.
Every four years, the museum arranges a World Samogitians’ Art Exhibition.
Annually, an international Mykolas Oginskis festival of classical music is held as an integral part of the Samogitian musical culture.
The scientific library of the museum stores personal libraries of historian Zenonas Ivinskis (1908–1971) and ethnography expert and educator Eleonora Ravickienė (1916–2004) as well as the archives of physicist, ethnography expert and professor Ignas Končius (1886–1975), philosopher, journalist and translator Pranas Mantvydas (1894–1960) and Eleonora Ravickienė.
Duke M. M. Oginskis’ Manor in Plungė
Plungė Manor homestead occupies 58.3 ha of the park area. There are ten monumental buildings which survived. The homestead was arranged around the neo-renaissance palace with two officines (servants’ houses) and a neo-gothic stud farm.
Even though the governors of Plungė Manor kept changing as from the 16th century, this estate remained an important residence of aristocrats, clergymen and talented creators of culture and artists until the early 20th century. In 1806, Plungė and the entire estate were sold to count Platon Zubov. In 1873,the Zubov family sold the manor to duke Mykolas Oginskis. The duke built the present-day manor in the northern part of the park. The manor was designed by a German architect Karl Lorenz. The palace was solemnly blessed in 1879. The central building was built in a neo-renaissance style which was in fashion at the time. From then on Plungė Manor has had its golden age.
Maria and Mykolas Oginskis
Continuing musical traditions of the Oginskis family, the duke established an orchestra school in the manor where painter and composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis studied.
M. K. Čiurlionis (1875–1911)
Duke Mykolas Oginskis’ Palace is one of the most beautiful architectural monuments of the 19thcentury Lithuania. It is particularlyexceptional because of sculptures of the antique style which decorate the roof of the palace.
In the period of 2012–2015, the interior of the palace was restored with the support of the EU structural funds.
Officines (Servants' Houses)
The western (left side) officine was used as a guest house during the Oginskis period. Nursemaids-nuns also used to live there. They worked in the orphanage which was supported by the Oginskis family. In 1883, a two-year Lithuanian school was opened, and the year 1903 saw the opening of Ms M. Oginskienė’s daraktoriai (village teachers) school. Next to this building, on the lawn, there was a large insulated conservatory and the Oginskis family chapel.
The eastern (right side) officine was intended for the administration of the manor. This is where an accountant worked. There was also a kitchen in this building.
Stud Farm
It is a neo-gothic style building in which different breeds of horses were raised and, in particular, the Little Samogitian Horse (Žemaitukas) breed was fostered. The chief stableman took care of horses along with his two assistants. There was a coach-house and a drill-hall here, too.
During the period of Lithuania’s independence, there was an agricultural school in the manor which renewed the stud farm and raised Žemaitukas horses.
Today, the former stud farm is used to organise annual international Mykolas Oginskis’ classical music festivals.
The Park
A mixed-type 18-19thcentury park was set up instead of the Samogitian sacred forest – Žemaičių alkas (Samogitian pagan shrine). Since 1986, the park has been a protected natural monument of national significance.
The pride of the park is one of the oldest and biggest oaks in Lithuania – Perkūnas (Thunderer) Oak, also the Crying Linden which is wrapped in legends, and the Five-Trunk Ash. By order of duke M. Oginskis, seven cascade ponds were excavated which were connected by stone bridges-canals. The park has an extraordinary landscape as it is traversed by the Babrungas River.