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Vila Bisena, which belongs to the Grumuldžiai family, dominates the hillside of Nemunas and its name has connections with the 13th century. Bisenė’s castle was here.
“Perhaps even one day we will rebuild it, it would be a great object in our Panemunė again,” jokes Antanas Grumuldis, the head of this family, although he tends to call himself more simply the captain of the ship “Bisena”, which transports passengers in the Nemunas.
Located on the site of an old farm
It snowed in the middle of May: real snow fell, not the petals of the trees. However, the farm still attracted attention with bright vegetation.
As Antanas says, they were once looking for a beautiful place for a farm because they wanted to establish a rural tourism farm. “My son Julius found that house and we bothered him with all his concerns,” he laughs. – It was an old farm. Since the Panemuniai Regional Park is here, the rules apply: you only need to build where the buildings have already stopped. We demolished them, we rebuilt them. “
Marius Vizbaras / 15min photo / Homestead “Vila Bisena”
Family: locals, children born in the Jurbarkas district, only Antanas himself, as they say, came here with his children. Never wanting children to migrate, Antanas says she tried to infect them with the desire to stay here and build her life in her homeland.
This farm has been family owned since 2011 and has been in operation for six years. “We received structural support through the National Paying Agency, we implemented the project. A lot of investment was needed. There is no payback on this business, you just have your job. Our main activity is parties and accommodation. Guests can spend the night on the second floor of the main house, as well as in a separate building and a cabin on a chicken leg.
Since the Panemuniai Regional Park is here, the rules apply: you only need to build where the buildings have already stopped. We demolished them, we rebuilt them.
We accept up to 70 guests for parties, so we can spend the night, “said Julius Grumuldis, who discovered this farm and discovered another talent: He not only built the farm, he now runs it, but he also treats guests with dishes. gourmet.
He discovered a new talent in himself
“I run the farm and kitchen, Dad is the captain, my brother runs the boat business and my mother and sister work in the food cart in Kipšiuke. We are trying to revitalize ourselves on this beautiful road. Lack of people, lack of places. If there were things like “Kipšiukas” every ten kilometers in each town, it would definitely be much better. We’re trying to do that kick, maybe it will recover a little later, “Julius says of the division of labor and the desire to attract more people to this land.
There is also a garden next to the farm, which is run by Antanas, but Julius is happy to use the produce for his meals. “We are trying to grow our own vegetables,” he says.
Marius Vizbaras / 15min photo / Homestead “Vila Bisena”
Farm owners prepare food for the holidays. “We think it is our business card and we are on it,” smiles Julius, who once graduated from law.
He runs the kitchen, he gladly shows himself: “We look a little different. We have escaped from the white mixes and the stuffed fish, we can really prepare many more fun things. Everything is changing, the holidays are changing, its principle is different. Holidays become events, they are no longer as they used to be: a musician sits with a synthesizer with a red nose and plays until someone comes out to find out. This is no longer the case, there is an event with the program. “
We have escaped from the white mixes and the stuffed fish, we can really prepare many more fun things. Everything is changing, vacations are changing, they are becoming events.
The family business has its advantages, but also its disadvantages, says Julius: “When each one is yours, there are advantages and disadvantages. Trust is very important. “
Antanas laughs: “The advantage is that we can work without pay. And so it is. “
He hopes to recover until at least 2022
This season has so far provided a number of not-so-pleasant surprises. “It just came to our attention then. Since Easter is very early this year, and the holiday marathon starts at Easter and lasts until All Saints Day, he really envisioned a very good season, fully loaded in April and May, but it came out how it came out. All holidays have been moved or canceled. We will start the season in late June, starting with Joniniai, “Julius said of the corrections made by the coronavirus threat.
His father echoes him: “And the holidays are almost one hundred percent weddings.”
Marius Vizbaras / 15min photo / Homestead “Vila Bisena”
The main customers of the Grumuldžiai farm are from Kaunas and Tauragė, another tenth, from Raseiniai, Šakiai, Jurbarkas, other cities. Usually every warm season weekend was busy here, weddings were held on Fridays, Thursdays and Wednesdays as well. As the hosts say, it is now very popular to celebrate a simple day.
“I really hope that by 2022 we will recover, because it will not end there, this year will be difficult, next year it will also be very difficult,” Julius said when asked about the losses. – We have great financial obligations, because the loan was taken As a farmer, Invega is not our friend, it will not cover interest. The bank agreed to defer the loan payment for six months and will pay all the installments at a later date. “
I sincerely hope that by 2022 we will recover, because it will not end there: this year will be difficult, next year it will be very difficult.
This year, although many people predict that Lithuanians will go on vacation to their country and will be happy to travel after it, the farm will not be easy. At the same time, more activities are expected for other families in the business areas: boat and food cart.
Another child”
According to Julius, for the second season they have a “boy” – “Kipšiukas”. It is a food cart in which Raimonda Grumuldienė and his daughter Ieva reign. The holidays are moving into nature this year, so it is expected that the demand for food offered by said car will also increase.
This is the second season of “Kipšiukas”. “We receive support through the Rural Development Program. Because Panemunė lacks places for passers-by and tourists to have a coffee, a sandwich, a dessert on a hot summer day, an ice cream. Usually the carriage is in the marina near the castle of Panemunė, ”Antanas said of this area of activity.
Marius Vizbaras / 15min photo / Homestead “Vila Bisena”
Kipšiukas is open every day during the summer season. “The idea came up to quickly feed and pamper tourists. There is a real restaurant at Panemunė Castle, but we don’t compete, we complement each other. After all, if you want a coffee, a sandwich or an ice cream, it’s not You need to go to a restaurant. Maybe others are in a hurry, go to the beach, eat something and travel further, “says Antanas.
According to Julius, “Kipšiukas” looks like a simple truck, but has production equipment for homemade ice cream, baked buns, and marinade meat for sandwiches on the farm: “We try not to make kebabs, we want the food to be so homemade.” It would probably be easier to sell kebabs, we would earn more, but we don’t do it that easily. ”
Julius and his colleagues from the “Panemunių turai” group have taken another innovation this year: Nemunas will offer tourists rowing.
“This year we are launching perhaps more passive entertainment: to go back to childhood, after all, we are probably all swimming with rafts. We will offer a tourist trip with one or two nights from Kaunas or from Seredžius to Jurbarkas. We have bought two rafts of six seats, two larger families can pay. We tried it ourselves, a fairy tale “, – said J. Grumuldis.
Photo from the “Panemunių turai” tourism group / Water vehicles in the Jurbarkas district
Refreshes the Nemunas
And behold, the Antan ship, which she oversees with another son, Simon, is twelve years old. The lounge at the bottom heats up, making it possible to swim on a colder day, which is not the case in Lithuanian summers.
According to the captain, the ship was built by a company from the Klaipėda district, which builds recreational pontoon boats, its draft is only 40 cm, so even during the drought, when the Nemunas sinks, passengers can be transported .
“The main route is here, between castles and mansions: Raudonė Castle, Panemunė Castle, Gelgaudiškis Mansion, various mounds. As the draft of the boat is small, I can move to the left bank of the Nemunas, we turn right. Free choice and so we navigate between castles. If there are those who want, we can navigate to Jurbarkas, we have also stopped at Kaunas, Dreverna.
We sailed directly to Drevern through the lagoon, we had to feel the storm and find ourselves in the middle of the lagoon, but the ship resisted in the middle of the lagoon, “said Captain Antanas.
Photo from the “Panemunių turai” tourism group / Water vehicles in the Jurbarkas district
On the upper deck you can enjoy the sun, the wind, breathe. When summers are hot, swimming in the Nemunas is very comfortable, says the captain, because the water comes immediately from the cold, people can relax and pamper themselves.
“On the farm near the Nemunas, many people lack aquatic entertainment, so you can enjoy the Nemunas while sailing,” says Antanas. And his son Julius remembers another aspect: “The shipment in the Nemunas is dead and, in particular, for recreation, we have nothing. That is why we are setting an example: we are reviving the Nemunas. “
Last season was the first for Bisena. According to his captain Antanas, he was bored: those who wanted to swim did not last long. There were also small festivals, and with the desire to move from one shore to another, so that people who came to Suwalki could see Panemunė Castle or those who traveled on Paradise Road, Gelgaudiškis mansion or other views of that shore.
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