This is one of the largest architectural monuments and the oldest manors in Lithuania, founded, presumably, in the 16th century. It was ruled by famous historical figures: Chodkevičiai, Valavičiai, Radvila, Sapiega, Sobieskia, Zubova, Naryškina... However, the buildings that have survived today very little remind of the manor's prosperous era.
During the rule of the Zubovs, the estate around 1810-1817. large-scale masonry construction began. in 1858 The Gruzdzii estate was bought by the Naryshkins in installments for 1 million tsarist rubles. The new owners further developed the manor house, especially the farm part. New buildings were built, old ones were repaired or modernized, the manor house acquired the form that has reached our times. Naryškinai managed the manor until 1915.
Unfortunately, many buildings are in a state of emergency today. Throughout the centuries of its development, the Gruzdzii manor had more of an economic than a family residential or representative function: the owners rarely visited it, only the administrator and other servants of the manor lived there. However, the owners were interested in western farming achievements and applied them in the estate.
The surviving manor buildings stand out for their unusual asymmetric plans and volumes, their facades are given splendor and decorativeness by combinations of several materials (red and yellow bricks, stone, wood, plaster).
Today, the manor complex includes more than thirty buildings, some of them are privatized, some of them belong to the state, some buildings are objects of cultural heritage, others are insignificant buildings. Most of the buildings are in an emergency condition. Today, people live in the former manor dairy and caretaker's house.
The legend of the manor tells that there lived a landlady who had a tamed bear in the courtyard of the palace. The lady used to be very pale and pale, and she used to walk her pet around the corridors of the palace, the parks and the town. This story became infamous because the landlady's pet attacked her one day and mauled her to death.
The manor is private, many of the buildings are in a state of emergency and are not suitable for tourists.
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