Tuskulėnų Dvaras

Tuskulėnų Manor is a neoclassical manor house in Vilnius's Žirmūnai district and is considered the oldest listed monument in the area. The present main building was erected in 1825 to designs by Karol Podczaszyński and shows clear influences of Palladian architecture. Characteristic of its facades are the so-called Serlianas, three connected window openings. The facade was originally adorned with statues of the Roman goddesses Diana, Juno, and Venus, which were restored after their removal in 2007. Inside the palace, you can see restored frescoes as well as historic paintings by Dutch masters such as Isaac and Adriaen van Ostade. In addition to the main building, the complex includes a small, eclectic chapel in honor of Saint Theresa as well as other outbuildings, which underwent extensive renovation between 2005 and 2008.

The site has a long history reaching back to the 16th century, when King Sigismund Augustus established a royal garden here. The name derives from a spa town near Rome, which monks chose in the 18th century. During the era of the Russian Empire, the estate served, among other things, as a cultural meeting place for figures such as the composer Stanisław Moniuszko. The darkest chapter of its history began, however, in the Soviet era: after nationalization in 1940, the KGB used the grounds. Between 1944 and 1947, numerous death sentences were carried out in the cellars of the NKVD prison.

After Lithuania regained its independence in 1990, the grounds were turned into a memorial park. Excavations in the 1990s uncovered the remains of more than 700 victims of Soviet repression, including resistance fighters and members of the Polish Home Army. They were interred in an underground columbarium located beneath an artificial hill in the park. Today, the restored manor house contains a Martyrology Museum, which is part of the Lithuanian Genocide Museum and informs visitors about the victims of the second half of the 20th century.