Apytalaukis Manor

About

Apytalaukis Manor is one of the most atmospheric historic estates in the Kėdainiai region, known for its elegant classical architecture and long connection to local noble families. The manor took shape in the 18th and 19th centuries, gradually evolving into a refined residence surrounded by a landscaped park. Its symmetry, tall windows and restrained decorative details reflect the tastes of the Lithuanian gentry during a period when manor culture shaped much of the countryside’s social life. Inside, visitors can explore several restored rooms that hint at the estate’s former grandeur. Surviving elements include wooden floors, fragments of original stoves and traces of decorative wall painting. The manor chapel, one of its most distinctive features, preserves a quiet spiritual atmosphere and offers insight into the daily rituals of the families who lived here. Archival photographs displayed in the interior help reconstruct the estate’s past, showing how the manor once functioned as a cultural and economic centre for the surrounding village. Today Apytalaukis Manor stands as a gentle reminder of Lithuania’s manor heritage, blending history, architecture and rural landscape into a single, evocative site.

Kėdainiai Lithuania

Location

Apytalaukis Manor (also called Zabielos Manor) is a former neoclassical residential manor located in Apytalaukis village, in the Kėdainiai district of central Lithuania, about 5 kilometers north of Kėdainiai town. The estate sits near the confluence of the Nevėžis and Alkupis rivers, in a rural and peaceful setting. The estate once housed an exceptional furniture set made from animals’ horns that won a gold medal at the 1900 Paris World Exhibition. In 1976, the manor became a psychoneurological boarding school and later a pensionate, but it is now abandoned and was heavily damaged by fire in September 2022. Nearby attractions include the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Apytalaukis, just 750 meters from the manor, which is an active Catholic church in the village. Within a few kilometers, visitors can explore the Kėdainiai Minaret in Kėdainiai Town Park, about 4 km away, and Dotnuvele Landscape Reserve, roughly 4 km distant. Kėdainiai Old Town, one of only four preserved Old Towns in Lithuania, is approximately 5–6 km away and offers historic streets, market squares, and religious buildings including St. Joseph’s Church, the Evangelical Reformed Church with the Radziwill mausoleum, and the Kėdainiai Regional Museum. Other nearby sights include Babėnai Lake, Tiskūnai Reservoir, and several hillforts such as Vaidatoniai Hillfort.