Invitation to a Guided Tour
2024 July 12, 8:00 p.m., before the B’ART Festival concert
On July 12 at 8:00 p.m., before the B’ART Festival concert at the Bartninkai church ruins, we invite you to an educational guided tour with historian, museum specialist, educator, author and public figure Benjaminas Mašalaitis, together with the manor restoration team.
During the event:
- We will share historical knowledge about the manor, presented by Benjaminas Mašalaitis, author of the recently published book 100 Manors of Sūduva.
- The manor management team will present future plans, the vision and the upcoming restoration work.
- We will explore the manor house and the granary buildings.
- We will walk along the surviving lime-tree avenue of the manor gardens and visit the Tatar cemetery, weather permitting.
- We want the evening to be memorable and pleasant for all participants, so we have prepared a special moment during which we will be happy to answer your questions.
The event is free of charge. Duration: 1 hour.
Advance registration is required by email: dvarofondas@gmail.com
The number of places is limited, so hurry to register!
Address: Vinkšnupiai village 1-1, 70334, Vilkaviškis District Municipality
We thank the B’ART Festival for its cooperation!
More about the manor: https://dvarofondas.lt/
For a long time, Vinkšnupiai Manor stood neglected and seemed destined to take its history with it into oblivion. As early as 2008, its condition was officially recognised as unsafe, and from then on only minor cosmetic repairs were carried out to prevent the manor from collapsing completely.
In the Register of Legal Acts, we found that Vinkšnupiai Manor had been included in the list of properties subject to privatisation as of 7 October 2009. For more than a decade, the building was offered for sale, but no buyers came forward. Thus, around 2008–2009, a decision was made in government offices to begin the privatisation process of the manor — or, in other words, a decision was made not to restore the building.
On 27 February 2023, the public institution Klasikos projektai became the owner of the manor and established the Vinkšnupiai Manor Support Fund, hoping to involve the public and local communities in its restoration.
The manor is a cultural heritage site. However, for the state to contribute at least partially to its restoration, it must be granted the status of a protected cultural heritage object. This is what the manor restoration team is working towards and hopes to achieve in the very near future.
Work has already begun: condition surveys of the site are now under way and will reveal more detailed information. First, the actual state of the building will be assessed, and the remaining authentic features and historical fragments will be recorded. These elements will provide the basis for restoring the manor’s original appearance.
