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The castle of exceptional architecture fascinates as much for its elegant and welcoming interior as for its well-kept surroundings: vast forests and fragrant gardens. The ultra-romantic setting has become one of the most coveted venues for wedding ceremonies, where newlyweds arrive with carriages and their vows of undying love are watched by storks perched on a tower.
From the pride of the wealthy to communist symbolism
The neo-Gothic castle was built in 1860, after Baron August von Pistolkor married a wealthy woman from Saint Petersburg. Augustus, from the dungeon of Emilias von Herder, daughter of a wealthy banker, and embellished with Byriniai, built a castle and planted a forest. My beloved wife also started creating parks.
The couple’s comfortable life, surrounded by beautiful views, lasted until the War of Independence, when the people who worked in it left the castle. Almost no time came for almost all castle and mansion owners at that time: there were no people willing to work on them, and the wealthy themselves were not paying and could not maintain large palaces and lands.
The Pistolkoras eventually sold the land and castle to the government for a small fee, and when they left for Germany, they started life there from scratch. “Recently, his descendants came to us, showed old photos found, it was a very delicate meeting,” said Solvita Muižniece, who now oversees the Biriniai mansion.
Indrė Bungardaitė / 15min photo / Birin Castle
In Soviet times, the castle was converted into a sanatorium. Here, the health restoration was carried out mainly by publishers and printers, who began to complain of heart and respiratory diseases due to the materials used in the printing presses.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the castle was privatized: it was acquired by the Jānis Vimba family. I received the first guests here.
Garden Pearls / Birin Castle Photo
“We have done many things, and now we are still managing them.” Almost everything has changed once, twice or three times, ”said S.Muižniece about the interior. As soon as you walk through the castle’s front door, the rich dark-colored foyer, where the impressive oak staircase emerges, suffocates. Although everything was repainted, the hostess said that while living here and inside the Pistolkorams, dark colors prevailed: they created comfort in the family home.
Indrė Bungardaitė / 15min photo / Birin Castle
By the way, in the past, the wealthy painted everything, even now decisions that seemed illogical were made just to demonstrate the financial situation. For example, the wooden doors were painted to create an imitation of wood. Why bother and paint them then? Painting was a luxury, making it a show of status.
It was important not only to have wealth at the time, but also to be proud of it. S.Muižniece said that once Pistolkora was expecting wealthy guests, that was the only reason they went with a carriage to Riga, took an expensive painting stored in the warehouse and transported it to the castle. Hanging on the wall, the painting was brought back to Rygon after the guests left.
Indrė Bungardaitė / 15min photo / Birin Castle
The interior of the castle has undergone repeated changes, therefore, as S. Mužniece said, every time his family had a question: what to handle the way they like and what, to get as close to the original as possible. “When you start to go down in history, when you start to get interested, then you want to recreate everything as it used to be, although it may not seem logical,” he admitted.
But you don’t even want to recreate some decoration details. When the Soviets established a sanitarium in the palace, its interiors were decorated with drawings on the walls that reflected communist ideology. Now, in the charming lobby half a century ago, a hammer and sickle were decorated, stars, even a tank.
Garden Pearls / Birin Castle Photo
Newlyweds compete for a romantic atmosphere
It is not only the architecture of the castle palace itself that characterizes these places. The palace is surrounded by lush parks and gardens, creating a romantic space for long walks. “In the past, parks were especially built further away from the castle and the mansion, at least half a kilometer away. This was done so that leaving the park was a walk, a short trip,” revealed S. Muizniece to supervise Byriniai Castle.
Well-kept parks are included in the Latvian and Estonian ensemble garden pearls project, which requires traveling through the most beautiful private and public gardens in these countries.
Garden Pearls / Birin Castle Photo
There are even several parks near the castle. XVIII c. Priežkalns Park, which began construction in the 19th century, is the oldest park, also containing the von Mellin family crypt, built in the 19th century. There are also artificial ponds in the Emilija Park, which Augusto named his beloved wife.
On one side of the castle is a small garden that stretches from the stables to the gardener’s house and flourishes with hawthorn flowers, magnolias, and other ornamental plants. However, the castle business card and the best recognizable park is the terrace garden, which descends to the lake shore. A romantic gazebo has been built here, making it a favorite spot for photo shoots and wedding ceremonies.
Garden Pearls / Birin Castle Photo
The luxurious Byriniai Castle has also become a filming location, and those wishing to host a wedding here are lined up. The castle, which has a restaurant, hotel and banquet facilities, is an extremely popular venue for various celebrations, especially weddings. As you walk through the parks, you will also discover a large oak tree, whose branches are decorated with bells by newlywed couples.
Those seeking peace also like to stay in the castle. The elegant old rooms overlook the lake, and the hosts offer many leisure activities, from horseback riding to painting lessons or boating in the park.
Indrė Bungardaitė / 15min photo / Birin Castle
Even if you don’t plan on staying in a hotel, it’s worth coming to these places just for a stroll in a romantic setting. If possible, climb one of the castle towers for a symbolic fee, which offers a unique panorama of the lake. A family of storks is also located right next to the tower. According to S.Muižniece, storks settled here as soon as their family acquired the land in 1993. – They have become a symbol of happiness in the castle.
Indrė Bungardaitė / 15min photo / Birin Castle
15 minutes after the Latvian and Estonian gardens, he traveled by invitation of the Garden Pearl program. The content of the article is not affected.
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