16th century
The Bilevičiai estate
The estate originated with the Bilevičiai family. A wooden residence preceded the surviving masonry house.
THE MANOR THROUGH TIME
History of Biliūnai Manor
The manor’s owners, the building of the house and its changing uses, from the 16th century to today.
XVIXXIcenturies
The first mention of the estate does not date the surviving house. Sources place its construction in the late 17th or the 18th century. Uncertain dates are explained beside each event.
16th-18th centuries
Origins and construction
1551
A date on the façade
A date recorded on the façade has been linked to earlier wooden buildings. It does not establish when the surviving house was built.
Sources (1)
1592
A written reference
The Lithuanian Castles and Manors Association dates an early written reference to the Bilevičiai estate to this year.
Sources (1)
1597
An early description
A Žemaičių žemė overview refers to a detailed surviving description of the estate. The original document has not yet been obtained.
Sources (1)
Late 17th century
The masonry manor house
Arnas Zmitra attributes construction over earlier cellars to Steponas Aleksandras Bilevičius. Other accounts suggest 1699.
Sources (2)
1702
Charles XII’s headquarters
The Universal Lithuanian Encyclopaedia links Biliūnai with the headquarters of King Charles XII of Sweden. The nearby Volai earthworks are also associated with this period.
Sources (1)
18th century
A park beside the Šaltuona
Historical accounts describe a geometric central layout, an orchard, a pond and a lime avenue. The planting evolved over time.
Sources (1)
1763
The working estate
A published account of the inventory lists grain stores, an icehouse, a brewery, stables, a carriage house, livestock buildings and a mill.
Sources (1)
1763
Antanas Gelgaudas
The association’s account records a transfer to Antanas Gelgaudas, followed by a return to the Bilevičiai family.
Sources (1)
1792
Antanas Gelgaudas retains Biliūnai
Rasa Butvilaitė’s study records that Antanas Gelgaudas retained Biliūnai when dividing his estates. After his death, his sons sold it to meet debts; the note gives neither the precise sale date nor the buyer.
Sources (1)
19th century - 1925
The manor’s owners
1812
Marshal Macdonald’s stay
Arnas Zmitra’s account of the manor mentions a stay by Jacques Macdonald, a marshal in Napoleon’s army. A visit by Napoleon himself has not been established.
Sources (1)
1850
The Piłsudski inheritance
The association records Juozas Bilevičius leaving the estate to his granddaughters Kaliksta and Julija Piłsudski.
Sources (1)
After 1863
After the uprising
Following the uprising, Julijus Piłsudski was exiled to Siberia. The estate subsequently passed to the Draškovskis family.
Sources (1)
1867 and 1890
The Draškovskis family
The association dates Ivanas Draškovskis’s purchase to 1867 and his son Nikolajus’s inheritance to 1890.
Sources (1)
1925
The Kaminskas family
The estate was transferred to Jonas Kaminskas. Accounts differ on his relationship with the previous owner and the circumstances of the transfer.
Sources (2)
1940-1989
War and changing uses
Early Soviet occupation
The family’s deportation
The Kaminskas family was deported. Published accounts give conflicting dates of 1940 and 1941.
Sources (2)
9 July 1945
A rescue from the hospital
Partisans led by J. Čeponis rescued wounded military pilot Juozas Kasperavičius from the Biliūnai field hospital.
Sources (2)
1958
The veranda is lost
A 2004 account of the manor and park records the veranda being destroyed by a storm.
Sources (1)
1962-1963
Conversion for the breeding station
The archive catalogue lists reconstruction documents for the house and granary. The manor was adapted for the Raseiniai livestock breeding station.
Sources (2)
1971
Repair plans and photographs
Archive catalogues record repair briefs, structural drawings and a 28-sheet photographic file.
Sources (2)
1987
A historical study
A 42-sheet historical study of the manor ensemble was produced. Its inventory reference is F5-4199.
Sources (1)
1988-1989
A conservation concept and surveys
A conservation concept was followed by measured surveys of the house and outbuildings, structural investigations and geological studies.
Sources (1)
Since 1989
Return and conservation
1989
Return to the family
FIXUS Mobilis dates the return to Jonas Kaminskas’s daughter, Bernadeta Elena Kaminskaitė-Žagarnauskienė, to 1989.
Sources (1)
28 October 1996
Registration of the ensemble
The published history records this as the date the manor ensemble entered the cultural heritage register.
Sources (1)
2016
The earthworks in archaeological research
A 2016 study of Mykolas Brenšteinas’s archaeological inventory identifies the Biliūnai earthworks as site R9 in Raseiniai district. It also includes Rasa Banytė-Rowell’s photograph of their northeastern exterior. The passage confirms the site’s inclusion in the inventory, but does not establish when the defences were built.
Sources (1)
21st century
Care of the manor house
FIXUS Mobilis reports an inspection, repairs to the rainwater system and sealing work on the roof.
Sources (1)
The house in 2011 and 2018
Two dated photographs show the house at different moments. The 2011 image records restoration work; the 2018 view shows the main facade.
