Verkiai: From Bishop’s Residence to the Outskirts of Vilnius
Verkiai is one of the oldest manor estates in Lithuania, which was a residence of Vilnius bishops beyond the city borders for almost 400 years. One could say that the beginnings of the Verkiai manor estate were in the decision adopted by the Władysław III Jagiełło in the 14th century to allocate control of Verkiai to the bishopric of Vilnius that had been established there. There were no brick buildings in Verkiai up until the 17th century. The first brick building, the Verkiai manor estate, was built around 1690 by Bishop Konstanty Kazimierz Brzostowski. It was built on the high shores of the River Neris. It was a three-story square building with plate-covered towers at its corners. The growth and prosperity of the Verkiai manor estate and its surroundings however is tied with the great figure of Bishop Ignacy Jakub Massalski.
Do You Know?
Under the control of Duke Peter Wittgenstein from 1874 to 1887, the Verkiai estate had a pavilion, greenhouses, ponds full of fish, a menagerie, indoor plumbing, 40 driving horses, gas, a post office, telegraph, photography workshop, and paper factory on the premises of the estate. Verkiai’s winter garden, which was built out of glass and steel based on the design of a French architect, was the only one of its kind in Lithuania.
The golden age of Verkiai
Renovation was begun on the Verkiai manor estate in 1773. Suffragan Bishop Stanisław Siestrzencewicz informed Massalski that the roof of the Verkiai manor estate was leaking without abate, which is why a decision was made to undertake serious renovation of the building complex, which demanded a large amount of financial support. At first, the renovation work was led by the Vilnius bishop’s personal architect Martin Knackfuss, which was later taken over by Wawrzyniec Gucewicz. They created a grand Classicist ensemble of buildings. Additional buildings were constructed, including servants’ quarters, while a part of the old buildings were knocked down.
Massalski commissioned stone steps for the new estate, a mahogany-inlaid floor from England, and a park with various kinds of trees from Hamburg.
In June 1775, he implored them to finish the renovation work at the Verkiai manor estate as soon as possible, because he intended to live there together with his nephew in the nearest future.
Verkiai became Massalski’s property in 1780. At that time, the construction of the manor estate’s ensemble of buildings took on a whole new dimension. They dug ponds, installed plumbing, and a windmill was constructed with a dam, along with a gatehouse.
Gradually Massalski was able to create a “beautiful romantic corner” in Verkiai, where the park was constructed based on the English example by Gucewicz.
The comedy Figaro was put on there, bananas and peaches were grown in the greenhouse. It also served as the location for the parish school.
In a letter from London in 1768, Vilnius University astronomer Marcin Poczobutt even offered to move the university observatory to Verkiai, which as he wrote “could match Greenwich.” When in 1786 Ludwika Byszewska, the wife of the last chamberlain of the Commonwealth Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski, came to Vilnius and visited Poczobutt, he “set the telescope toward Verkiai, which seemed so close that it was like it was right there in the auditorium. We saw a hill two miles away, people taking hay and grain, a wheel turned by horses, and it was possible to see perfectly well how people were dressed.”
Passed Along
However, this residence of the Vilnius bishop located beyond Vilnius, which had the cool restraint of a large pond and architectural arrogance of its exterior, remained unfinished. Its owner met huge financial setbacks at the end of his life. In 1792, Gucevičius still managed to rebuild the estate of the Vilnius bishop, which was later purchased by the Commonwealth through an auction.
In 1792, Verkiai went to Count Potocki, who was the husband of Massalski’ niece Helena. However, he lived in Belarus, which is why the manor estate was sold to Vilnius Marshal Stanisław Jasinski. The manor estate fell into disrepair. In 1842 Ludwig Wittgenstein exchanged his Raudonvaris manor estate for Verkiai. With his efforts, the park layout was changed, a new brick fence and gates were built, a small house for the guard, and a fountain.
Under the control of Duke Peter Wittgenstein from 1874 to 1887, the Verkiai estate was rejuvenated.
He brought artists and architects from abroad, who rebuilt the left building (building a tower and a winter garden), renovated the park and the flower beds. The manor estate was decorated with various luxurious things brought from Rome and Paris, and rare museum pieces collected by the Radziwiłł (including weapons, paintings, stuffed beasts, and shields).
Up to this day, the initials P. W. have survived in wooden engravings of the interior of the left buildings, bearing witness to the fact that the manor estate was decorated during the times of Peter Wittgenstein.
There was also a pavilion, greenhouses, ponds full of fish, a menagerie, indoor plumbing, 40 driving horses, gas, a post office, telegraph, photography workshop, and paper factory on the premises of the estate. Verkiai’s winter garden was the only one of its kind in Lithuania at the time. It was built from glass and still based on the design of a French architect. Roads were also laid to Verkiai and in the territory of Verkiai. After Peter Wittgenstein’s death, Verkiai went to his sister Maria Hohenlohe who, following the laws of the Tsarist government (which made it illegal for foreigners to own land), sold Verkiai. At the beginning of the 20th century, Verkiai fell into decline.
Eligijus Raila
