{"id":60590,"date":"2022-11-17T09:13:07","date_gmt":"2022-11-17T07:13:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visit-palanga.lt\/veiklos\/turizmo-marsrutas-palanga-vakar-ir-siandien\/"},"modified":"2025-06-09T15:41:03","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T12:41:03","slug":"tourist-route-palanga-yesterday-and-today","status":"publish","type":"veikla","link":"https:\/\/www.visit-palanga.lt\/en\/activities\/tourist-route-palanga-yesterday-and-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Tourist route: \u201cPalanga yesterday and today\u201d"},"template":"","veiklu_kategorija":[1045],"class_list":["post-60590","veikla","type-veikla","status-publish","hentry","veiklu_kategorija-sightseeing-routes"],"acf":{"irasas_1_pavadinimo_dydis":false,"irasas_1_latitude":"","irasas_1_longitude":"","irasas_1_nuotrauka":28597,"irasas_1_nuotraukos_rodymas":"off","irasas_1_nuotrauka_2":"","irasas_1_aprasymas":"<h2><img class=\"alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visit-palanga.lt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/eu.png\" \/><\/h2>\r\n<h4><\/h4>\r\n<h2><img class=\"alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visit-palanga.lt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/tic.png\" \/><\/h2>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h2><\/h2>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>The tourist route was developed as part of the 2014-2020 European Neighbourhood Instrument project No. LT-RU-2-065 \"Cultural Tourism in the Baltic Region\" (2020-08-14 Grant Agreement No. 1S-279), funded by the European Union<\/strong><\/h4>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Route (on foot): <\/strong>\r\n\r\nStart the walking route at the Palanga Tourist Information Center (hereinafter referred to as TIC), where you can watch newly created 3D and educational virtual reality films representing the development of the resort, pick up maps, and book a tour.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Palanga TIC (Vytauto g. 94)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<table style=\"height: 592px;\" width=\"1317\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"225\"><strong>Palanga Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary<\/strong> (ascent to the observation deck \u2013 view of the current resort, Vytauto g. 51)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"493\"><strong>Palanga Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (ascent to the observation deck \u2013 view of the current resort, Vytauto g. 51)<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe first small wooden Catholic church in Palanga was built in 1554 on the initiative of Ona Jogailait\u0117, wife of Stephen B\u00e1thory. Another cross-shaped church with a tower and a belfry was built in 1590 on the initiative of the rulers of Lithuania at that time. The church was rebuilt in 1767 and stood for 140 years. In 1897, a new neo-Gothic church was built next to the old wooden one, designed by Swedish architect Karl Eduard Strandmann. The Roman numerals above the main gate indicate that the construction of Palanga Church was completed in 1907.\r\n\r\nThe church has an impressive pulpit and three artistic altars decorated with bas-reliefs made of marble brought from France. The central altar features a painting of the Virgin Mary, which dates back to the 17th century. The other two wooden altars in the side aisles were moved from the previous wooden church.\r\n\r\nIn her memoirs, educator and writer Aleksandra \u0160ilgalyt\u0117 describes the day of March 23, 1915, when Palanga was bombed by the German navy. After the bombing, Palanga looked unrecognizable to the author, who was especially shocked by the appearance of the church and the churchyard: a large part of the churchyard fence was demolished, the walls of the church looked as if they had been pecked at by birds, the windows were broken, and the stained glass had turned into piles of colored glass. She also describes a story she heard about how, on the morning of March 23, when people gathered in the church to listen to Mass, a deafening sound suddenly rang out and a huge shell from the front of the altar of St. The priest and parishioners rushed to hide in the church basement, where they celebrated Mass. The priest and parishioners rushed to hide in the church basement, where they celebrated Mass. It is believed that if the explosive had detonated, the church would have been completely destroyed. The shell was removed by German soldiers themselves.\r\n\r\nOn April 1, 2018, a tower with an observation deck began operating at the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Palanga. The height of the church tower is 24 meters.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"225\"><\/td>\r\n<td width=\"493\"><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\nThe route begins with an introduction to how the resort has changed from the Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai era to the modern resort:\r\n\r\nThe tour continues with an introduction to the development of the resort (history and present):\r\n\r\n<strong>Villa Aldona<\/strong> (now the Eureka House of Illusions, J. Basanavi\u010diaus g. 24A)\r\n\r\n<strong>Eureka House of Illusions<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe most beautiful and architecturally interesting villas in Palanga were built by the Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai. One of these is Villa Aldona, which originally belonged to Vladislav Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius (1865\u20131936), who was very interested in culture. He was the editor of the first humorous newspaper La Limande (The Flounder), published in Palanga in the summer of 1886. He signed his articles under the pseudonym M. Monstre. Four issues were published. They reviewed the advantages of the Palanga resort, the abundance of vacationers, their distribution according to social status and nationality, the purposes of vacationing at the resort, and events at the resort, as well as cultural, economic, and financial news.\r\n\r\nFrom 1902, the Aldona villa was owned by the count's mother, Sofija Ti\u0161kevi\u010dien\u0117 (1837\u20131919). The villa stood out not only for its wooden decorations, but also for its open gazebos, attics, and well-planned wide driveway. There are legends about the origin of the villa's name. It is believed that the name is related to the character Aldona in Adam Mickiewicz's poem \"Konrad Wallenstein.\"\r\n\r\nAt the beginning of the 20th century, Countess S. Ti\u0161kevi\u010dien\u0117 rented out the villa and established the Olga guesthouse there.\r\n\r\nIn 2017, a unique entertainment complex, the Eureka House of Illusions, was established in the villa. Visitors have the opportunity to see themselves in unusual situations and environments that are completely unfamiliar to them, try out various experiments, and even experience more intense sensations.\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=1h6sqV0Sfja1PwliQpPYjbMFyK7M7f-w&amp;ehbc=2E312F\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"><\/iframe><strong>Route by car:<\/strong>\r\nStart the walking route at the Palanga Tourist Information Center (hereinafter referred to as TIC), where you can watch newly created 3D and educational virtual reality films representing the development of the resort, pick up maps, and book a tour.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Return to the car park next to the Amber Museum (Vytauto St.)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=1nc51ajF94DM6hoSCvigZgc_Agg3Temc&amp;ehbc=2E312F\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"><\/iframe>\r\n<table style=\"height: 1474px;\" width=\"1314\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"225\"><strong>The symbol of the Palanga resort, the Kurhaus (Palanga Youth and Culture Center, Graf\u0173 Ti\u0161kevi\u010di\u0173 al. 1),<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Theater (Palanga Concert Hall, Vytauto g. 43),<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Ti\u0161kevi\u010di\u0173 Alley, Old Pharmacy (Vytauto St. 33)<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td width=\"493\"><strong>Kurhauzas<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPalanga began to gain popularity as a summer resort in the second quarter of the 19th century, but for a long time it lacked recreational facilities such as restaurants, summer houses, and hotels. In 1877, Count Juozapas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius (1835\u20131891), the founder of the Palanga resort, built the first restaurant, which he expanded in 1880 and turned into a hotel. Such multifunctional leisure houses, called kurhauzes, were one of the main elements of every resort town, so the Palanga kurhauzas soon became the center of the emerging resort. Summer visitors were particularly fond of it because it had a restaurant, a reading room, billiard and game rooms, and various concerts, dance evenings, performances, and other entertainment events were organized there. For a long time, the Kurhaus was the only hotel in Palanga.\r\n\r\nIn 1905, the newly established resort administration and information office began operating in the Kurhaus. Holidaymakers arriving in Palanga had to register and pay various resort fees within 24 hours. The resort administration constantly ensured that holidaymakers had a comfortable stay and were not short of entertainment.\r\n\r\nThe Palanga Kurhaus was constantly renovated, expanded, and rebuilt, so it never achieved a stylistically uniform form. In 1909, it underwent its most serious reconstruction. During this time, water and sewage systems were installed, and a large hall decorated with impressive classicist moldings and a raised stage was added. An Art Nouveau-style veranda with a view of the new Palanga church was added to the northern facade.\r\n\r\nIn the interwar period, the Kurhaus became the most popular entertainment venue in Palanga, attracting the educated intelligentsia, who were passionate about the idea of freedom of thought. At that time, the building was lit by electricity and had a telephone. For a long time, the Kurhaus was the main venue for cultural events in the town. It housed the resort association.\r\n\r\nThe Kurhaus, considered a symbol of the Palanga resort, burned down in 2002. The brick part was rebuilt in 2013, and the wooden part in 2020.\r\n\r\n<strong>Theater<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the 1890s, Count Juozapas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius built a modest wooden theater near the Kurhaus for the entertainment of his family and guests, which was used for amateur performances by family and friends. At the beginning of the 20th century, with more and more vacationers coming to Palanga and seeing the need for this type of cultural institution, Feliksas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius built a new 600-seat theater building in 1908, which, according to the press at the time, was \"as beautiful as Palanga.\" Unfortunately, the new theater did not impress the audience, who complained about the smell of mold, poor acoustics, and lighting. As a result, after the first summer season, it was decided to renovate it, and apparently due to the repairs, a fire broke out in May 1909 and the building burned down.\r\n\r\nIn 1910, a new, much more modest single-story wooden theater building was constructed. This building served theater lovers for several decades, but it also burned down in 1934.\r\n\r\nIn 1939, Palanga architect Vadimas Lvovas (1906\u20131940) designed and built a summer stage on the same site. It is believed that during the Soviet era, it was rebuilt and moved to the park.\r\n\r\nIn 1971, the famous Palanga Summer Stage with a capacity of 1,000 seats was built (architect Vytautas Gerulis). It hosted concerts by famous performers of the time and various entertainment events. After serving for 40 years during the summer season, the stage was demolished in 2013 and replaced in 2015 by a modern, 2,200-seat concert hall resembling a music box, which is open all year round.\r\n\r\n<strong>Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai Alley<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen creating the Palanga resort, the Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai built buildings for recreation and entertainment and created various recreational areas for the enjoyment of holidaymakers: parks, gardens, and alleys. One of the oldest parts of the Palanga resort is the promenade, laid out at the end of the 19th century parallel to Liepojos Street (now Vytauto Street). The Kurhauzo Park was established here, and the first villas of the Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai and a theater building were constructed. Around 1910, the main Art Nouveau gates to the center of the Palanga resort were built at the beginning of the alley. A fee was collected there for entry to the resort park.\r\n\r\nIn 2017, in honor of the Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai and their contribution to the establishment of the Palanga resort, the alley was restored, the destroyed gates were rebuilt, and sculptures of Count Feliksas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius and his wife Countess Antanina Sofija Ti\u0161kevi\u010dien\u0117 were unveiled (sculptor Klaudijus P\u016bdymas, architect Snieguol\u0117 Stripinien\u0117). The pavement of the alley is decorated with the Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai family motto engraved in Latin and Lithuanian: \"Deligas quem diligas\" and \"I\u0161sirink, k\u0105 myli\" (Choose what you love).\r\n\r\nThe alley is further enhanced and made even more charming by a sculpture park, where visitors can admire 28 sculptures created by famous Lithuanian and foreign sculptors.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"253\"><strong>Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai Palace<\/strong> (Amber Museum) (Vytauto g. 17),\r\n\r\n<strong>Birut\u0117 Park<\/strong> (Vytauto g. 15) and\r\n\r\n<strong>Birut\u0117 Hill<\/strong> (Vytauto g. 21).<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"464\"><strong>The Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai Palace<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn 1891, after the death of Count Juozapas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius (1835\u20131891), Palanga was inherited by his son, Count Feliksas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius (1869\u20131932). Having abandoned a career in the military, he continued his father's work on developing the resort and in 1897 built a representative palace designed by the famous German architect Franz Heinrich Schwechten.\r\n\r\nThe palace of Count Feliksas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius and his wife Antanina Sofija Loncka (1870\u20131951) is a building in the historicist style typical of the late 19th century, combining Renaissance, Baroque, and Classicist features and compositional elements. It was intended as a permanent residence for the nobility in Palanga.\r\n\r\nThe interior of the palace is subtly and tastefully decorated. It was adorned with valuable works of art: paintings, family portraits, engravings, bronze artefacts, marble busts, walls decorated with oriental carpets, tapestries and mirrors. The palace was famous for its extensive library and the unique collection of ancient amber artifacts collected by Count F. Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius himself.\r\n\r\nIn 1907, an octagonal Neo-Renaissance chapel designed by the same architect was added to the palace. In 1913, the counts traveled to Rome to ask the Pope for permission to hold Mass and other services in the chapel and to receive the Holy Sacrament. The count's family began and ended each day with prayers in the chapel and gathered there for Mass on Sundays.\r\n\r\nThe Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai resided in Palanga until 1939. After World War II, the palace was nationalized by the Soviet authorities. In 1963, a branch of the Lithuanian National Art Museum, the Palanga Amber Museum, was established there and is still operating today.\r\n\r\n<strong>Birut\u0117 Park<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn 1897, a landscaped park was established next to the Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai palace. The project was designed by the famous French landscape architect \u00c9douard Andr\u00e9 (1840\u20131911). Together with his son Ren\u00e9 \u00c9douard Andr\u00e9 (1867\u20131942), he spent several summers in Palanga and supervised the construction of the park.\r\n\r\nThe cultural value and artistic success of the park was determined not only by E. F. Andr\u00e9's talent, but also by the natural and historical uniqueness of the location chosen for the park and the abundance and impressiveness of the creative components used in the park. The plants in the park were carefully adapted to the climatic conditions of Palanga. The palace is nestled between the park's pond and the historically famous Lithuanian sacred site, the legendary Birut\u0117 Hill, which offers a magnificent view of the Baltic Sea. The paths are masterfully laid out and flower beds have been planted in the squares. On the northern side of the palace, the large parterre designed by architect E. F. Andr\u00e9 is still maintained, with a fountain in the center. In the southeastern part of the park is a small parterre decorated with flower beds, a fountain, and sculptures.\r\n\r\nThe park is rich in small architectural elements. Opposite the palace, a sculpture of Christ the Benefactor was erected in 1905, made in Paris, probably by the famous Maison Raffl company. It was destroyed in 1948 and restored in 1993. One of the most popular photo spots in Palanga is the bronze sculpture \"Egl\u0117 \u2013 Queen of Serpents\" created in 1960 by the famous sculptor Robertas Antinis, based on motifs from Lithuanian folk tales.\r\n\r\nThe park has survived two world wars, numerous natural and other disasters, and has been expanded and restored, but despite this, it has retained the spirit of the parks created by E. F. Andr\u00e9 and is considered one of the most beautiful parks in Northern Europe.\r\n\r\nSince 1960, it has been called the Palanga Botanical Park. In 2011, the historical name of Birut\u0117 Park was restored.\r\n\r\n<strong>Birut\u0117 Hill<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBirut\u0117 Hill is the highest dune on the Palanga seashore and one of the most important symbols of the city. As early as the 9th\u201310th centuries, overseas merchants traded and lived near Birut\u0117 Hill. Silver, copper, lead, and zinc ore for the production of bronze alloys were brought to the mainland via Palanga from Central Europe or directly from Sweden.\r\n\r\nIn the 11th\u201312th centuries, the trade center of Palanga was a complex of four settlements, consisting of Birut\u0117 Hill, \u017demai\u010di\u0173 Hill, R\u0105\u017e\u0117s, and the southern settlements. Birut\u0117 Hill was a place of defense and worship \u2013 an altar. The dates set by the priests were related to the corresponding holidays, during which certain gods and deities were worshipped.\r\n\r\nThe most important legend of the hill is about the priestesses who tended the eternal altar fire in the shade of the sacred oaks. The wise and beautiful Birut\u0117, daughter of the Samogitian nobleman Vidmantas, served in the sanctuary. The local people considered her a saint. The Grand Duke of Lithuania, K\u0119stutis, met and fell in love with Birut\u0117 on his way back from war with the Teutonic Knights. Although she had promised the gods to remain a virgin, K\u0119stutis took her away and married her. Birut\u0117 is the mother of one of the most prominent Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Vytautas. Written sources also confirm that she was a historical figure. To this day, there are stories that the hill itself is Birut\u0117's burial place.\r\n\r\nThe Christianization of Samogitia and the weakening of paganism did not affect Birut\u0117's Hill as a symbol. It did not lose its meaning and importance in the minds of the local people. And from a pagan cultural object, it was reconstructed into a Christian one.\r\n\r\nThe first wooden chapel of St. George was built on the hill around 1506. It was renovated in 1753. A new brick chapel in the Neo-Gothic style was built in 1869\u20131870 according to a design by the Riga-based architect Karl Mayer. At that time, steps were built to the hill and a number of trees were planted on its slopes.\r\nAt that time, steps were built up the hill and many trees were planted on its slopes. Between 1898 and 1900, a shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary was built on the slope of Birut\u0117 Hill.<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"253\"><strong>Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai Palace <\/strong>(Amber Museum) (Vytauto St. 17),\r\n\r\n<strong>Birut\u0117 Park <\/strong>(Vytauto St. 15)\r\n\r\n<strong>Birut\u0117 Hill <\/strong>(Vytauto St. 21).<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"464\"><strong>The Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai Palace<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn 1891, after the death of Count Juozapas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius (1835\u20131891), Palanga was inherited by his son, Count Feliksas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius (1869\u20131932). Having abandoned a career in the military, he continued his father's work on developing the resort and in 1897 built a representative palace designed by the famous German architect Franz Heinrich Schwechten.\r\n\r\nThe palace of Count Feliksas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius and his wife Antanina Sofija Loncka (1870\u20131951) is a building in the historicist style typical of the late 19th century, combining Renaissance, Baroque, and Classicist features and compositional elements. It was intended as a permanent residence for the nobility in Palanga.\r\n\r\nThe interior of the palace is subtly and tastefully decorated. It was adorned with valuable works of art: paintings, family portraits, engravings, bronze artefacts, marble busts, walls decorated with oriental carpets, tapestries and mirrors. The palace was famous for its extensive library and the unique collection of ancient amber artifacts collected by Count F. Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius himself.\r\n\r\nIn 1907, an octagonal Neo-Renaissance chapel designed by the same architect was added to the palace. In 1913, the counts traveled to Rome to ask the Pope for permission to hold Mass and other services in the chapel and to receive the Holy Sacrament. The count's family began and ended each day with prayers in the chapel and gathered there for Mass on Sundays.\r\n\r\nThe Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai resided in Palanga until 1939. After World War II, the palace was nationalized by the Soviet authorities. In 1963, a branch of the Lithuanian National Art Museum, the Palanga Amber Museum, was established there and is still operating today.\r\n\r\n<strong>Birut\u0117 Park<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn 1897, a landscaped park was established next to the Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai palace. The project was designed by the famous French landscape architect \u00c9douard Andr\u00e9 (1840\u20131911). Together with his son Ren\u00e9 \u00c9douard Andr\u00e9 (1867\u20131942), he spent several summers in Palanga and supervised the construction of the park.\r\n\r\nThe cultural value and artistic success of the park was determined not only by E. F. Andr\u00e9's talent, but also by the natural and historical uniqueness of the location chosen for the park and the abundance and impressiveness of the creative components used in the park. The plants in the park were carefully adapted to the climatic conditions of Palanga. The palace is nestled between the park's pond and the historically famous Lithuanian sacred site, the legendary Birut\u0117 Hill, which offers a magnificent view of the Baltic Sea. The paths are masterfully laid out and flower beds have been planted in the squares. On the northern side of the palace, the large parterre designed by architect E. F. Andr\u00e9 is still maintained, with a fountain in the center. In the southeastern part of the park is a small parterre decorated with flower beds, a fountain, and sculptures.\r\n\r\nThe park is rich in small architectural elements. Opposite the palace, a sculpture of Christ the Benefactor was erected in 1905, made in Paris, probably by the famous Maison Raffl company. It was destroyed in 1948 and restored in 1993. One of the most popular photo spots in Palanga is the bronze sculpture \"Egl\u0117 \u2013 Queen of Serpents\" created in 1960 by the famous sculptor Robertas Antinis, based on motifs from Lithuanian folk tales.\r\n\r\nThe park has survived two world wars, numerous natural and other disasters, and has been expanded and restored, but despite this, it has retained the spirit of the parks created by E. F. Andr\u00e9 and is considered one of the most beautiful parks in Northern Europe.\r\n\r\nSince 1960, it has been called the Palanga Botanical Park. In 2011, the historical name of Birut\u0117 Park was restored.\r\n\r\n<strong>Birut\u0117 Hill<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBirut\u0117 Hill is the highest dune on the Palanga seashore and one of the most important symbols of the city. As early as the 9th\u201310th centuries, overseas merchants traded and lived near Birut\u0117 Hill. Silver, copper, lead, and zinc ore for the production of bronze alloys were brought to the mainland via Palanga from Central Europe or directly from Sweden.\r\n\r\nIn the 11th\u201312th centuries, the trade center of Palanga was a complex of four settlements, consisting of Birut\u0117 Hill, \u017demai\u010di\u0173 Hill, R\u0105\u017e\u0117s, and the southern settlements. Birut\u0117 Hill was a place of defense and worship \u2013 an altar. The dates set by the priests were related to the corresponding holidays, during which certain gods and deities were worshipped.\r\n\r\nThe most important legend of the hill is about the priestesses who tended the eternal altar fire in the shade of the sacred oaks. The wise and beautiful Birut\u0117, daughter of the Samogitian nobleman Vidmantas, served in the sanctuary. The local people considered her a saint. The Grand Duke of Lithuania, K\u0119stutis, met and fell in love with Birut\u0117 on his way back from war with the Teutonic Knights. Although she had promised the gods to remain a virgin, K\u0119stutis took her away and married her. Birut\u0117 is the mother of one of the most prominent Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Vytautas. Written sources also confirm that she was a historical figure. To this day, there are stories that the hill itself is Birut\u0117's burial place.\r\n\r\nThe Christianization of Samogitia and the weakening of paganism did not affect Birut\u0117's Hill as a symbol. It did not lose its meaning and importance in the minds of the local people. And from a pagan cultural object, it was reconstructed into a Christian one.\r\n\r\nThe first wooden chapel of St. George was built on the hill around 1506. It was renovated in 1753. A new brick chapel in the Neo-Gothic style was built in 1869\u20131870 according to a design by the Riga-based architect Karl Mayer. At that time, steps were built to the hill and a number of trees were planted on its slopes. At that time, steps were built up the hill and many trees were planted on its slopes. Between 1898 and 1900, a shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary was built on the slope of Birut\u0117 Hill.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"281\"><strong>Interactive Lithuanian Fairy Tale Park<\/strong> (S. Daukanto g. 24A)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"436\"><strong>Fairy Tale Park<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn 2016, an interactive fairy tale park was established in Palanga, based on Lithuanian folklore. Here, you can not only take a leisurely stroll among the ancient pine trees, but also get acquainted with the most popular Lithuanian fairy tales. Each sculpture has an information board where you can not only read the fairy tale, but also hear it in Lithuanian and English by pressing a special button. Children especially enjoy trying out the sculptures created from Lithuanian folk motifs. The sculptures, made of metal, stone, concrete, and wood, are designed not only to be touched, but also to be played with, climbed on, spun around, and so on.\r\n\r\nSeven fairy tales are presented in the park: \"Egl\u0117 \u2013 the Queen of Serpents\" (by Agnes\u0117 Rudzit\u0117 (Latvia)), \"The Sky is Falling\" (by Krists Zarins (Latvia)), \"The Old Woman Had a Grey Goat\" (by Povilas Butkevi\u010dius), \"The Fox and the Crow\" (by Andrius Butkevi\u010dius), \"The Fox and the Crow\" (by Andrius Butkevi\u010dius), \"The Fox and the Crow\" (by Andrius Butkevi\u010dius), \"The Fox and the Crow\" (by Andrius Butkevi\u010dius), \"The Fox and the Crow\" (by Andrius Butkevi\u010dius), \"The Fox and the Crow\" (by Krists Zarins (Latvia), \"The Old Woman Had a Grey Goat\" (by Povilas Butkevi\u010dius), \"The Fox and the Jug\" (by Andrius Petkus), \"I'm Following a Fairy Tale\" (by Algis Kasparavi\u010dius), \"The Sun and the Moon\"\r\n(by Rolandas \u0160mitas), \"Pupa\" (by Gediminas Ma\u017eintas). All of the sculptures are extremely attractive and charming with their colors, artistic expression, and unconventional solutions. This park has undoubtedly become the most popular place for young summer visitors to relax.<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"281\"><strong>Warm baths building<\/strong> (K\u0119stu\u010dio g. 31)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"436\"><strong>Warm baths<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWarm baths have been operating in Palanga since the end of the 19th century as an alternative to sea bathing. At first, these were temporary facilities \u2013 baths set up in the premises of the gymnasium during the summer. In 1905, Count Feliksas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius (1869\u20131932) built a wooden building for heated baths in a particularly cozy resort location on K\u0119stu\u010dio Street. Vacationers were offered heated sea water baths with pine extract or salt added upon request, as well as oxygen or carbon dioxide baths. Various therapeutic procedures were also performed.\r\n\r\nAround 1911, as the resort's seasonality declined and the number of wealthy vacationers increased, the building was expanded with two side wings on the east and west sides. Twenty-four baths were planned in them: six first-class, twelve second-class, and four third-class.\r\n\r\nAfter renovations in 1929, there were 25 bathrooms. After World War II, the warm bathhouse was nationalized, and in 1952, a balneological (water and mud) treatment center was established there.\r\n\r\nIt can be said that this building and the services it provided were one of the first health centers in the Palanga resort, offering SPA (Latin: sanitas per aqua; sanus per aqua; solus per aqua \u2013 \"health through water\") services, which are particularly popular today.<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"281\"><strong>Officers' Club<\/strong> (Birut\u0117s al. 46)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"436\"><strong>Officers' Club villa<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the interwar period, it was prestigious to relax in Palanga, so it is not surprising that officers belonging to the Lithuanian elite at that time also decided to purchase summer houses. In 1934, a 6,000 square meter plot of land located between K\u0119stu\u010dio and Simpsono streets, with a two-story 1,633 square meter wooden summer house, was purchased from Marija Gorskien\u0117 (?) by attorney Liubomiras Bociarskis (?). During the renovation, 18 rooms with spacious balconies were built, and the building itself was designed with seven separate entrances so that the officers could relax without disturbing each other.\r\n\r\nThe villa was primarily intended for the recreation of members of the Officers' Club and their families, but if there were rooms available, civilian employees of the Ministry of National Defense could also vacation there. A room with service cost 2 litas per night. This price included a bed with a mattress, pillow, and blanket, bed linen, and towels. Certain rules had to be followed in the villa \u2013 guests had to pay for any damage, and gambling and alcohol were prohibited.\r\n\r\nThere was a croquet court next to the villa, as this game was very popular among the officers staying there.<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"281\"><strong>Sculpture \"J\u016brat\u0117 and Kastytis\"<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Palanga Bridge<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Beach<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td width=\"436\"><strong>Sculpture \"J\u016brat\u0117 and Kastytis\"<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOne of the most beautiful legends of the seaside about the love of the goddess J\u016brat\u0117 and the fisherman Kastytis was brought to life in 1961 by sculptor Nijol\u0117 Gaigalait\u0117 (1928\u20132009) in her sculptural composition \"J\u016brat\u0117 and Kastytis.\" The square adorned by this sculpture, one of the most important symbols of the Palanga resort, was also named after it.\r\n\r\nThe tragic love legend, heard by the residents of Palanga almost two centuries ago, was first recorded and published in 1842 in the book \"Memories of the Land of Samogitia\" by Adomas Liudvikas Jucevi\u010dius (1813\u20131846). In 1920, the poet Jonas Ma\u010diulis-Maironis (1862\u20131932) published the ballad J\u016brat\u0117 ir Kastytis (J\u016brat\u0117 and Kastytis) in Lithuanian in the magazine Pavasario balsai (Voices of Spring). This marked the beginning of a new life for this legend in literature.\r\n\r\nThe legend tells of an amber palace standing in the depths of the Baltic Sea, whose mistress, the sea goddess J\u016brat\u0117, protected and ruled all the waters and their inhabitants. No one had any reason to complain or lament, and everyone lived in harmony and peace. Once, J\u016brat\u0117 learned that the fisherman Kastytis was catching her fish and condemning them to death. She became angry and rose to the surface of the water to scold the disobedient fisherman. The fisherman pulled in his net and could not believe his eyes \u2013 there stood the queen of the sea herself. J\u016brat\u0117 scolded Kastytis, asking him why he was catching her fish and condemning them to death, but the young fisherman grew more and more fond of her. J\u016brat\u0117 invited the fisherman to stay at her amber palace, and he forgot about his home and his waiting mother, about the passing of time \u2013 he saw only his beloved J\u016brat\u0117. The mighty god Perk\u016bnas looked down from the heavens onto the sea and saw J\u016brat\u0117 happily spending time with the mortal, and he became terribly angry. Perk\u016bnas shot his fiery arrow at J\u016brat\u0117's amber palace and smashed it into tiny pieces. The fisherman Kastytis, who dared to fall in love with the goddess, was killed. The ruler J\u016brat\u0117, chained to a rock at the bottom of the sea by Perk\u016bnas, still mourns her lost lover, and her amber tears are sometimes washed up on the sandy shore...\r\n\r\n<strong>The Bridge<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCount Juozapas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius (1835\u20131891), doubting that a railway would ever be built to Palanga, thus facilitating transport to the town, invested in maritime transport and, around 1888, built an L-shaped pier almost a kilometer long. The count's steamboat Feniksas moored there, transporting bricks made in the brickworks of the village of Vilimi\u0161k\u0117s and other agricultural products to Liep\u0101ja, and holidaymakers to Palanga. A narrow-gauge railway was built from the brickworks to the end of the pier to facilitate the transport of goods. The goods were transported by horse-drawn carts.\r\n\r\nHowever, it soon became clear that the conditions were unsuitable for shipping, as after every storm the port became too shallow to navigate, and its constant deepening was too expensive. The ship was sold, and the bridge became a favorite spot for vacationers, who enjoyed romantic walks and watching the sunset. The horse-drawn narrow-gauge railway also served vacationers, allowing them to reach the beach without getting stuck in the sand.\r\n\r\nIn 1905, a spacious arbor decorated with an open wooden structure was built on the bridge. Holidaymakers would hide there from the hot sun or unexpected rain. During the interwar period, in 1932, the bridge underwent major repairs, and a caf\u00e9 and kiosk were built on it. During the Soviet era, the bridge did not lose its important recreational function, and summer visitors were offered boat rides.\r\n\r\nIn 1991, it was decided to replace the old dilapidated wooden bridge with a new, more durable reinforced concrete structure with a wooden surface. The new bridge has a pier for small boats and four fishing platforms. The Palanga Bridge is one of the most important symbols of the unique resort life in Palanga.\r\n\r\n<strong>Beach<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the first half of the 19th century, Palanga became increasingly popular with summer visitors due to its healthy seaside climate and the growing popularity of balneology in the Baltic region. Swimming was the main purpose of a visit to the seaside, so the Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai made sure that the beach was equipped with facilities for relaxation, changing, and swimming.\r\n\r\nChanging rooms were built on Palanga beach in the second quarter of the 19th century and remained important until the First World War. Around a hundred changing rooms lined up in rows could be rented for the entire summer season. There was a certain order on the beach, which was maintained by supervisors. They made sure that the designated bathing hours for men and women were observed. Until the end of the 19th century, the bathing hours were announced by beating a drum. Later, this was replaced by a pole with a flag that was raised when it was time to go in the water.\r\n\r\nAt the end of the 19th century, bathing carts began to be used on Palanga beach. These were wooden huts on four wheels that were pulled into the sea by horses. The bathing carts had three uses: as simple changing rooms, as well as for naked bathers to hide from unwanted eyes and to avoid wading through the breaking waves, which could be fun for the young and healthy, but a difficult obstacle for the elderly and infirm.\r\n\r\nThere were also cold baths on Palanga beach. Right on the shore, a row of single-story changing cabins in the shape of the letter \"U\" was built on tall poles driven into the sand. Light entered the cabins through rectangular windows, and from the cabins it was possible to access a platform that surrounded the entire inner part of the bathing area. The platform, which extended into the sea, allowed vacationers to comfortably enter the water. This bathing facility was also popular with vacationers in the interwar period. Later, due to changing bathing habits, it disappeared from the seaside landscape.\r\n\r\nDuring the Soviet era, a therapeutic beach operated on the beach, established in 1973.\r\n\r\nSince 2004, the blue flag has been flying on the 500-meter-long beach in Birut\u0117 Park, indicating that the beach meets the highest environmental quality standards.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"281\"><strong>Villa Anapilis<\/strong> (now the Palanga Resort Museum, Birut\u0117s al. 34A)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"436\"><strong>Villa Anapilis<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe Anapilis villa of the Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai is one of the most famous villas in the Palanga resort, distinguished by its unique architecture, which has no analogues on the Lithuanian coast. The history of the building dates back to 1898, although the exact date of construction and the architect are unknown.\r\n\r\nThe first owner and, presumably, the person who commissioned the villa was Countess Sofija Ti\u0161kevi\u010dien\u0117 (1837\u20131919). For a long time, the villa was named after her. After her death, the villa was inherited by her daughter Marija Ti\u0161kevi\u010di\u016bt\u0117 (1871\u20131941). After World War I, it was purchased by the Lithuanian Agricultural Bank, whose main shareholders were brothers Jonas (1886\u20131944) and Juozas Vailokai\u010diai (1880\u20131955). The villa began to be called \"Anapilis,\" although the residents of Palanga had already been calling it that because of its unique architecture.\r\n\r\nIn 1940, the villa was nationalized and converted into residential premises, and in the post-war years, the J\u016brat\u0117s sanatorium club was established there. Dance evenings, themed evenings, concerts, and similar entertainment were organized for vacationers at Anapilis.\r\n\r\nAfter Lithuania regained its independence, the Government of the Republic of Lithuania assigned the Anapilis villa to the Palanga City Municipality. It became part of the Palanga Cultural Center. Soon, an acoustic music club was established in the villa, symbolically named Anapilis. The activities of the music club were reminiscent of the bohemian atmosphere of interwar Lithuania, when the villa was frequented by famous public figures and artists.\r\n\r\nSince 2014, the Anapilis villa has housed the Palanga Resort Museum. In 2019, a modern, contemporary historical exhibition was installed there.\r\n\r\nVarious legends still circulate about the villa. The wind organ installed in the tower added even more mysticism and fueled rumors about s\u00e9ances that took place there. These wind catchers \"caught\" the seaside winds and emitted unusual sounds that matched the name of the villa. It is said that Countess S. Ti\u0161kevi\u010dien\u0117 complained of poor health, so wind harps were installed in the villa's tower to cheer her up. As soon as the countess felt unwell, she would open the windows of the tower and listen to the unusual sounds of musical instruments.\r\n\r\nThe wind organ at the Anapilis villa is unique. There are no known analogues of this type of tin drums built into a building and functioning as \"wind catchers\" in Lithuania or abroad. Unfortunately, the wind organ discovered and restored during the renovation is not in working order, but it has been given a new lease of life in the Palanga Resort Museum exhibition.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"281\"><strong>Villa Baltoji<\/strong> (Birut\u0117s al. 33)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"436\"><strong>Villa \"Baltoji\"<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAt the end of the 19th century, as more and more summer houses were built in Palanga, only two brick villas were constructed. One of them was Villa Baltoji, intended for Count Feliksas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius' good friend and business partner, Prince Mykolas Oginskis (1849\u20131902). The prince did not own the villa for long, as he soon exchanged it for the villa Svitezis, located closer to the sea, which belonged to Countess Marija Ti\u0161kevi\u010di\u016bt\u0117 (1871\u20131943).\r\n\r\nBetween the wars, M. Ti\u0161kevi\u010di\u016bt\u0117 rented the Baltoji villa in the summers to the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Antanas Smetona (1874\u20131944), who would come to Palanga with his family and a whole entourage of servants and advisors. The president's vacation lasted from four to six weeks. A. Smetona enjoyed swimming in the sea, walking in the park and along the seashore, reading a lot, and watching the sun set from the pier every evening. For the convenience of the president and his entourage, the Palanga City Council had built a small, beautiful wooden cabin on the beach, which was surrounded by a low fence with a small sandy area.\r\n\r\nIn 1938, the villa was purchased by Vladas Sta\u0161inskas (1874\u20131944), a public figure and lawyer of the Republic of Lithuania. The building now belongs to his descendants.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"243\"><strong>Basanavi\u010diaus Street<\/strong> \u2013 reflects various periods from the Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai family to the present day.<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"474\"><strong>J. Basanavi\u010diaus Street<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nFrom the oldest part of the Palanga resort, which includes the park, the first villas of the Counts of Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai, the theater building, and the Kurhauzas, to the sea, runs the main street of the resort, which was called the Counts of Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai Boulevard more than 120 years ago. Spacious plots have been formed around this street, ensuring exceptional comfort and privacy for their owners. The first wooden villas were built, surprising with their unique architecture and surviving to this day \u2013 Anapilis, J\u016bros akis, Aldona, Pajauta, Baltoji, Romeo, and D\u017eiuljeta. The boulevard naturally continued into the sea, becoming a bridge for holidaymakers to stroll along and watch the sun set.\r\n\r\nIn 1921, when Palanga was awarded to Lithuania by the decision of the International Arbitration Commission, one of the most famous figures in Lithuanian culture and politics, scientist, promoter of Lithuanian culture, Jonas Basanavi\u010dius (1851\u20131927), prepared a report entitled \"From the History of Palanga,\" which is considered the first historical study of the Palanga region. In 1924, J. Basanavi\u010dius visited Palanga and was treated at one of its sanatoriums. That same summer, he celebrated his name day in Palanga with two other patriarchs of the Lithuanian nation, Jonas \u0160li\u016bpas (1861\u20131944) and Jonas Jablonskis (1860\u20131930). In the same year, the Palanga District Council renamed Ti\u0161kevi\u010di\u0173 Boulevard after Jonas Basanavi\u010dius. Since 2002, the beginning of this street has been adorned with a bust of J. Basanavi\u010dius (sculptor \u2013 Juozas Zikaras, architect \u2013 Vytautas Moncevi\u010dius).\r\n\r\nToday, J. Basanavi\u010diaus Street is the main entertainment street in Palanga, with bars, restaurants, and other places of entertainment. For vacationers, walking down this street to the bridge and watching the sun set from there remains one of the most important resort activities.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"243\"><strong>Restaurant Vasara<\/strong> (now a nightclub, S. N\u0117ries g. 39)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"474\"><strong>Restaurant Vasara<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the middle of the 20th century, the restaurant Vasara appeared in Palanga and was considered the most important restaurant in the resort for a long time. Designed by architect Aleksandras Eigirdas in 1964 and built in 1967, the building became a kind of icon of Lithuanian modernism. Vasara was the first building in the entire former Soviet Union to use a new thin-walled reinforced concrete construction technology. The restaurant was circular and glass-walled. In the evenings, the decorations inside glowed from afar. Due to its unique architectural design, it became perhaps the most important landmark representing the resort town of Palanga in various informational publications.\r\n\r\nThe restaurant was only open in the summer and was intended to serve independent vacationers. To this day, stories circulate that having dinner at Vasara was considered prestigious, and due to the long queues, not everyone was able to do so. Even the intense heat inside the building, which was like a greenhouse due to its glass construction, did not deter resort visitors.\r\n\r\nIn 2003, the building was renovated and modernized. The spiral staircase, the column supporting the building, and the exterior of the building remained almost unchanged, retaining its cylindrical shape and authentic window partitions.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><strong>\u0160ventoji Port<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\">\u0160ventoji is an old fishing village located at the mouth of a river. Archaeological finds dating back to 3000 BC have been discovered here. It is believed that a trading post and port existed at the mouth of the \u0160ventoji River as early as 1,000 years ago.\r\n\r\nIn 1422, the Peace of Melno established the border between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Livonia, which ran along the \u0160ventoji River. In the 14th\u201317th centuries, \u0160ventoji was mentioned in the Hanseatic merchant routes between K\u00f6nigsberg and Riga. For a long time, \u0160ventoji was more strategically important than Palanga \u2013 it had shipyards, a trading center, a fortress, and a park. In the 16th\u201318th centuries, English, Dutch, and Swedish ships visited \u0160ventoji, taking grain, furs, and honey and bringing iron, manufactured goods, salt, wine, herring, and weapons.\r\n\r\nIn 1923\u20131925, work began on rebuilding the port, adapting it mainly for fishermen. In 1939\u20131940, the southern and northern piers were repaired. However, ships with large drafts could not enter this port because sand silted up the port gates. \u0160ventoji never became a major port. After the war, its territory belonged to the fishing farm \"Paj\u016bris.\"\r\n\r\n\u0160ventoji began to expand again after 1955. It was built up with wooden single-story houses, and later with private homes. In 1965, the Soviet border zone regime was relaxed and summer resorts were allowed to be built in \u0160ventoji. In 1970, \u0160ventoji was incorporated into Palanga. In 1972, the Greater Palanga Plan was drawn up, which provided for the construction of brick holiday homes in \u0160ventoji. This area grew into a resort town.\r\n\r\nIn 1982, a 4-meter-high sculptural composition by sculptor Zuzana Pranaityt\u0117, \"The Fisherman's Daughters,\" was erected on the dunes near the gates of \u0160ventoji Harbor.\r\nIt depicts not only the fisherman's daughters waiting for their father to return from fishing, but also symbolizes the three Baltic states striving for independence. Lithuania is in the middle.<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><strong>Border section in Nemirseta<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\">The border section near Nemirseta, established in 1422 by the Treaty of Melno, was marked on all maps until the middle of the 20th century.\r\n\r\nIn the middle of the 16th century, a state institution \u2013 a customs office \u2013 operated in Palanga. In 1555, it was leased for three years by a Jew named Feliksas. The establishment of a customs office in Palanga testifies to the fact that the town was a magnet for traders.\r\n\r\nIn the 19th century, the main export goods were raw hides and cattle, while sugar, wool, cotton, and silk fabrics were imported. In the 19th century, trade in Palanga was a traditional example of Eastern European and Northern and Western European exchange: agricultural products, forest materials, and raw materials were exchanged for bakery goods, ironware, wine, fabrics, and salt.\r\n\r\nIn addition to fishing, amber extraction and processing, the inhabitants of Palanga had additional income from trade in contraband goods. Vodka, known locally as \"Prussian,\" colonial goods (tea, sugar), fabrics, illegal and Lithuanian books were transported across the border. Merchants and fishermen transported weapons and ammunition to the rebels in 1831 and 1863. During World War I, cigarettes, spirits, and saccharin were brought in from Prussia.\r\n\r\nOn October 5, 1865, by order of the Russian Minister of Internal Affairs, it was forbidden throughout the empire to print or import any publications in the Lithuanian language using the Latin alphabet. The ban on the Lithuanian press lasted until 1904. The Tsarist border guards were obliged to fight Lithuanian book smugglers who transported illegal Lithuanian publications. Guards and customs officers received 10 kopecks for each book they seized, and as much as 10 rubles for a pood of newspapers or other publications. Transporting banned Lithuanian publications was very dangerous.\r\nMany book smugglers had to fight with Russian border guards, and many were caught and brutally beaten. In 2004, UNESCO recognized book smuggling as a unique phenomenon with no equivalent anywhere else in the world.<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><strong>Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai Palace<\/strong>,\r\n\r\n<strong>Birut\u0117 Park,<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Birut\u0117 Hill<\/strong> (leave your car near Birut\u0117 Park, Vytauto Street)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\"><strong>The Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai Palace<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn 1891, after the death of Count Juozapas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius (1835\u20131891), Palanga was inherited by his son, Count Feliksas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius (1869\u20131932). Having renounced his military career, he continued his father's work on developing the resort and in 1897 built a representative palace designed by the famous German architect Franz Heinrich Schwechten.\r\n\r\nThe palace of Count Feliksas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius and his wife Antanina Sofija Loncka (1870\u20131951) is a building in the historicist style typical of the late 19th century, combining Renaissance, Baroque, and Classicist features and compositional elements. It was intended as a permanent residence for the nobility in Palanga.\r\n\r\nThe interior of the palace is subtly and tastefully decorated. It was adorned with valuable works of art: paintings, family portraits, engravings, bronze artefacts, marble busts, walls decorated with oriental carpets, tapestries and mirrors. The palace was famous for its extensive library and the unique collection of ancient amber artifacts collected by Count F. Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius himself.\r\n\r\nIn 1907, an octagonal Neo-Renaissance chapel designed by the same architect was added to the palace. In 1913, the counts traveled to Rome to ask the Pope for permission to hold Mass and other services in the chapel and to receive the Holy Sacrament. The count's family began and ended each day with prayers in the chapel and gathered there for Mass on Sundays.\r\n\r\nThe Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai resided in Palanga until 1939. After World War II, the palace was nationalized by the Soviet authorities. In 1963, a branch of the Lithuanian National Art Museum, the Palanga Amber Museum, was established there and is still operating today.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Birut\u0117 Park<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn 1897, a landscaped park was established next to the Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai mansion. The project was designed by the famous French landscape architect \u00c9douard Andr\u00e9 (1840\u20131911). Together with his son Ren\u00e9 \u00c9douard Andr\u00e9 (1867\u20131942), he spent several summers in Palanga and supervised the construction of the park.\r\n\r\nThe cultural value and artistic success of the park was determined not only by E. F. Andr\u00e9's talent, but also by the natural and historical uniqueness of the location chosen for the park and the abundance and impressiveness of the creative components used in the park. The plants in the park were carefully adapted to the climatic conditions of Palanga. The palace is nestled between the park's pond and the historically famous Lithuanian sacred site, the legendary Birut\u0117 Hill, which offers a magnificent view of the Baltic Sea. The paths are masterfully laid out and flower beds have been planted in the squares. On the northern side of the palace, the large parterre designed by architect E. F. Andr\u00e9 is still maintained, with a fountain in the center. In the southeastern part of the park is a small parterre decorated with flower beds, a fountain, and sculptures.\r\n\r\nThe park is rich in small architectural elements. Opposite the palace, a sculpture of Christ the Benefactor was erected in 1905, made in Paris, probably by the famous Maison Raffl company. It was destroyed in 1948 and restored in 1993. One of the most popular photo spots in Palanga is the bronze sculpture \"Egl\u0117 \u2013 Queen of Serpents\" created in 1960 by the famous sculptor Robertas Antinis, based on motifs from Lithuanian folk tales.\r\n\r\nThe park has survived two world wars, numerous natural and other disasters, and has been expanded and restored, but despite this, it has retained the spirit of the parks created by E. F. Andr\u00e9 and is considered one of the most beautiful parks in Northern Europe.\r\n\r\nSince 1960, it has been called the Palanga Botanical Park. In 2011, the historical name of Birut\u0117 Park was restored.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Birut\u0117 Hill<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nBirut\u0117 Hill is the highest dune on the Palanga coast and one of the most important symbols of the city. As early as the 9th\u201310th centuries, overseas merchants traded and lived near Birut\u0117 Hill. Silver, copper, lead, and zinc ore for the production of bronze alloys were brought to the mainland via Palanga from Central Europe or directly from Sweden.\r\n\r\nIn the 11th\u201312th centuries, the trade center of Palanga was a complex of four settlements, consisting of Birut\u0117 Hill, \u017demai\u010di\u0173 Hill, R\u0105\u017e\u0117s, and the southern settlements. Birut\u0117 Hill was a place of defense and worship \u2013 an altar. The dates set by the priests were related to the corresponding holidays, during which certain gods and deities were worshipped.\r\n\r\nThe most important legend of the hill is about the priestesses who tended the eternal altar fire in the shade of the sacred oaks. The wise and beautiful Birut\u0117, daughter of the Samogitian nobleman Vidmantas, served in the sanctuary. The local people considered her a saint. The Grand Duke of Lithuania, K\u0119stutis, met and fell in love with Birut\u0117 on his way back from war with the Teutonic Knights. Although she had promised the gods to remain a virgin, K\u0119stutis took her away and married her. Birut\u0117 is the mother of one of the most prominent Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Vytautas. Written sources also confirm that she was a historical figure. To this day, there are stories that the hill itself is Birut\u0117's burial place.\r\n\r\nThe Christianization of Samogitia and the weakening of paganism did not affect Birut\u0117's Hill as a symbol. It did not lose its meaning and importance in the minds of the local people. And from a pagan cultural object, it was reconstructed into a Christian one.\r\n\r\nThe first wooden chapel of St. George was built on the hill around 1506. It was renovated in 1753. A new brick chapel in the Neo-Gothic style was built in 1869\u20131870 according to a design by the Riga-based architect Karl Mayer. At that time, steps were built to the hill and a number of trees were planted on its slopes.\r\nAt that time, steps were built up the hill and many trees were planted on its slopes. Between 1898 and 1900, a shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary was built on the slope of Birut\u0117 Hill.<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><strong>Interactive Lithuanian Fairy Tale Park<\/strong> (S. Daukanto g. 24A)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\"><strong>Fairy Tale Park<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn 2016, an interactive fairy tale park was established in Palanga, based on Lithuanian folklore. Here, you can not only take a leisurely stroll among the ancient pine trees, but also get acquainted with the most popular Lithuanian fairy tales. Each sculpture has an information board where you can not only read the fairy tale, but also hear it in Lithuanian and English by pressing a special button. Children especially enjoy trying out the sculptures created from Lithuanian folk motifs. The sculptures, made of metal, stone, concrete, and wood, are designed not only to be touched, but also to be played with, climbed on, spun around, and so on.\r\n\r\nSeven fairy tales are presented in the park: \"Egl\u0117 \u2013 the Queen of Serpents\" (by Agnes\u0117 Rudzit\u0117 (Latvia)), \"The Sky is Falling\" (by Krists Zarins (Latvia)), \"The Old Woman Had a Grey Goat\" (by Povilas Butkevi\u010dius), \"The Fox and the Crow\" (by Andrius Butkevi\u010dius), \"The Fox and the Crow\" (by Andrius Butkevi\u010dius), \"The Fox and the Crow\" (by Andrius Butkevi\u010dius), \"The Fox and the Crow\" (by Andrius Butkevi\u010dius), \"The Fox and the Crow\" (by Andrius Butkevi\u010dius), \"The Fox and the Crow\" (by Krists Zarins (Latvia), \"The Old Woman Had a Grey Goat\" (by Povilas Butkevi\u010dius), \"The Fox and the Jug\" (by Andrius Petkus), \"I'm Following a Fairy Tale\" (by Algis Kasparavi\u010dius), \"The Sun and the Moon\"\r\n(by Rolandas \u0160mitas), \"Pupa\" (by Gediminas Ma\u017eintas). All of the sculptures are extremely attractive and charming with their colors, artistic expression, and unconventional solutions. This park has undoubtedly become the most popular place for young summer vacationers to relax.<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><strong>Warm baths building<\/strong> (K\u0119stu\u010dio g. 31)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\"><strong>Warm baths<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWarm baths have been operating in Palanga since the end of the 19th century as an alternative to sea bathing. At first, these were temporary facilities \u2013 baths set up in the premises of the gymnasium during the summer. In 1905, Count Feliksas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius (1869\u20131932) built a wooden building for heated baths in a particularly cozy resort location on K\u0119stu\u010dio Street. Vacationers were offered heated sea water baths with pine extract or salt added upon request, as well as oxygen or carbon dioxide baths. Various therapeutic procedures were also performed.\r\n\r\nAround 1911, as the resort's seasonality declined and the number of wealthy vacationers increased, the building was expanded with two side wings on the east and west sides. Twenty-four baths were planned in them: six first-class, twelve second-class, and four third-class.\r\n\r\nAfter renovations in 1929, there were 25 bathrooms. After World War II, the warm bathhouse was nationalized, and in 1952, a balneological (water and mud) treatment center was established there.\r\n\r\nIt can be said that this building and the services it provided were one of the first health centers in the Palanga resort, offering SPA (Latin: sanitas per aqua; sanus per aqua; solus per aqua \u2013 \"health through water\") services, which are particularly popular today.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><strong>Officers' Club<\/strong> (Birut\u0117s al. 46)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\"><strong>Officers' Club villa<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the interwar period, it was prestigious to relax in Palanga, so it is not surprising that officers belonging to the Lithuanian elite at the time also decided to purchase summer houses there. In 1934, a 6,000 square meter plot of land located between K\u0119stu\u010dio and Simpsono streets, with a two-story 1,633 square meter wooden summer house, was purchased from Marija Gorskien\u0117 (?) by attorney Liubomiras Bociarskis (?). During the renovation, 18 rooms with spacious balconies were built, and the building itself was designed with seven separate entrances so that the officers could relax without disturbing each other.\r\n\r\nThe villa was primarily intended for the recreation of members of the Officers' Club and their families, but if there were rooms available, civilian employees of the Ministry of National Defense could also vacation there. A room with service cost 2 litas per night. This price included a bed with a mattress, pillow, and blanket, bed linen, and towels. Certain rules were observed in the villa \u2013 guests had to compensate for any damage, and gambling and alcohol were prohibited.\r\n\r\nThere was a croquet court next to the villa, as this game was very popular among the officers staying there.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><strong>Sculpture \"J\u016brat\u0117 and Kastytis\", Palanga Bridge<\/strong>\r\n\r\n<strong>Beach<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\"><strong>Sculpture \"J\u016brat\u0117 and Kastytis\"<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nOne of the most beautiful legends of the seaside about the love of the goddess J\u016brat\u0117 and the fisherman Kastytis was brought to life in 1961 by sculptor Nijol\u0117 Gaigalait\u0117 (1928\u20132009) in her sculptural composition \"J\u016brat\u0117 and Kastytis.\" The square adorned by this sculpture, one of the most important symbols of the Palanga resort, was also named after it.\r\n\r\nThe tragic love legend, heard by the residents of Palanga almost two centuries ago, was first recorded and published in 1842 in the book \"Memories of the Land of Samogitia\" by Adomas Liudvikas Jucevi\u010dius (1813\u20131846). In 1920, the poet Jonas Ma\u010diulis-Maironis (1862\u20131932) published the ballad J\u016brat\u0117 ir Kastytis (J\u016brat\u0117 and Kastytis) in Lithuanian in the magazine Pavasario balsai (Voices of Spring). This marked the beginning of a new life for this legend in literature.\r\n\r\nThe legend tells of an amber palace standing in the depths of the Baltic Sea, whose mistress, the sea goddess J\u016brat\u0117, protected and ruled all the waters and their inhabitants. No one had any reason to complain or lament, and everyone lived in harmony and peace. Once, J\u016brat\u0117 learned that the fisherman Kastytis was catching her fish and condemning them to death. She became angry and rose to the surface of the water to scold the disobedient fisherman. The fisherman pulled in his net and could not believe his eyes \u2013 there stood the queen of the sea herself. J\u016brat\u0117 scolded Kastytis, asking him why he was catching her fish and condemning them to death, but the young fisherman grew more and more fond of her. J\u016brat\u0117 invited the fisherman to stay at her amber palace, and he forgot about his home and his waiting mother, about the passing of time \u2013 he saw only his beloved J\u016brat\u0117. The mighty god Perk\u016bnas looked down from the heavens onto the sea and saw J\u016brat\u0117 happily spending time with the mortal, and he became terribly angry. Perk\u016bnas shot his fiery arrow at J\u016brat\u0117's amber palace and smashed it into tiny pieces. The fisherman Kastytis, who dared to fall in love with the goddess, was killed. Queen J\u016brat\u0117, chained to a rock at the bottom of the sea by Perk\u016bnas, still mourns her lost lover, and her amber tears are sometimes washed up on the sandy shore...\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>The Bridge<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nCount Juozapas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius (1835\u20131891), doubting that a railway would ever be built to Palanga, thus facilitating communication with the town, invested in maritime transport and, around 1888, built an almost one-kilometer-long L-shaped pier. The count's steamboat Feniksas moored there, transporting bricks made in the brickworks of the village of Vilimi\u0161k\u0117s and other agricultural products to Liep\u0101ja, and holidaymakers to Palanga. A narrow-gauge railway was built from the brickworks to the end of the pier to facilitate the transport of goods. The goods were transported by horse-drawn carts.\r\n\r\nHowever, it soon became clear that the conditions were unsuitable for shipping, as after every storm the port became too shallow to navigate, and its constant deepening was too expensive. The ship was sold, and the bridge became a favorite spot for vacationers, who enjoyed romantic walks and watching the sunset. The horse-drawn narrow-gauge railway also served vacationers, allowing them to reach the beach without getting stuck in the sand.\r\n\r\nIn 1905, a spacious arbor decorated with an open wooden structure was built on the bridge. Holidaymakers would hide there from the hot sun or unexpected rain. During the interwar period, in 1932, the bridge underwent major repairs, and a caf\u00e9 and kiosk were built on it. During the Soviet era, the bridge did not lose its important recreational function, and summer visitors were offered boat rides.\r\n\r\nIn 1991, it was decided to replace the old dilapidated wooden bridge with a new, more durable reinforced concrete structure with a wooden surface. The new bridge has a pier for small boats and four fishing platforms. The Palanga Bridge is one of the most important symbols of the unique resort life in Palanga.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<strong>Beach<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the first half of the 19th century, Palanga became increasingly popular with summer visitors due to its healthy seaside climate and the growing popularity of balneology in the Baltic region. Swimming was the main purpose of a visit to the seaside, so the Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai made sure that the beach was equipped with facilities for relaxation, changing, and swimming.\r\n\r\nChanging rooms were built on Palanga beach in the second quarter of the 19th century and remained important until the First World War. Around a hundred changing rooms lined up in rows could be rented for the entire summer season. There was a certain order on the beach, which was maintained by supervisors. They made sure that the designated bathing hours for men and women were observed. Until the end of the 19th century, the bathing hours were announced by beating a drum. Later, this was replaced by a pole with a flag that was raised when it was time to go in the water.\r\n\r\nAt the end of the 19th century, bathing carts began to be used on Palanga beach. These were wooden huts on four wheels that were pulled into the sea by horses. The bathing carts had three uses: as simple changing rooms, as well as for naked bathers to hide from unwanted eyes and to avoid wading through the breaking waves, which could be fun for the young and healthy, but a difficult obstacle for the elderly and infirm.\r\n\r\nThere were also cold baths on Palanga beach. Right on the shore, a row of single-story changing cabins in the shape of the letter \"U\" was built on tall poles driven into the sand. Light entered the cabins through rectangular windows, and from the cabins it was possible to access a platform that surrounded the entire inner part of the bathing area. The platform, which extended into the sea, allowed vacationers to comfortably enter the water. This bathing facility was also popular with vacationers in the interwar period. Later, due to changing bathing habits, it disappeared from the seaside landscape.\r\n\r\nDuring the Soviet era, a therapeutic beach operated on the beach, established in 1973.\r\n\r\nSince 2004, the blue flag has been flying on the 500-meter-long Birut\u0117 Park beach, indicating that the beach meets the highest environmental quality standards.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><strong>Villa Anapilis<\/strong> (now the Palanga Resort Museum, Birut\u0117s al. 34A)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\"><strong>Villa Anapilis<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe Anapilis villa of the Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai is one of the most famous villas in the Palanga resort, distinguished by its unique architecture, which has no analogues on the Lithuanian coast. The history of the building dates back to 1898, although the exact date of construction and the architect are unknown.\r\n\r\nThe first owner and, presumably, the person who commissioned the villa was Countess Sofija Ti\u0161kevi\u010dien\u0117 (1837\u20131919). For a long time, the villa was named after her. After her death, the villa was inherited by her daughter Marija Ti\u0161kevi\u010di\u016bt\u0117 (1871\u20131941). After World War I, it was purchased by the Lithuanian Agricultural Bank, whose main shareholders were brothers Jonas (1886\u20131944) and Juozas Vailokai\u010diai (1880\u20131955). The villa began to be called \"Anapilis,\" although the residents of Palanga had already been calling it that because of its unique architecture.\r\n\r\nIn 1940, the villa was nationalized and converted into residential premises, and in the post-war years, the J\u016brat\u0117s sanatorium club was established there. Dance evenings, themed evenings, concerts, and similar entertainment were organized for vacationers at Anapilis.\r\n\r\nAfter Lithuania regained its independence, the Government of the Republic of Lithuania assigned the Anapilis villa to the Palanga City Municipality. It became part of the Palanga Cultural Center. Soon, an acoustic music club was established in the villa, symbolically named Anapilis. The activities of the music club were reminiscent of the bohemian atmosphere of interwar Lithuania, when the villa was frequented by famous public figures and artists.\r\n\r\nSince 2014, the Anapilis villa has housed the Palanga Resort Museum. In 2019, a modern, contemporary historical exhibition was installed there.\r\n\r\nVarious legends still circulate about the villa. The wind organ installed in the tower added even more mysticism and fueled rumors about s\u00e9ances that took place there. These wind catchers \"caught\" the seaside winds and emitted unusual sounds that matched the name of the villa. It is said that Countess S. Ti\u0161kevi\u010dien\u0117 complained of poor health, so wind harps were installed in the villa's tower to cheer her up. As soon as the countess felt unwell, she would open the windows of the tower and listen to the unusual sounds of musical instruments.\r\n\r\nThe wind organ at the Anapilis villa is unique.\r\nThere are no known analogues of this type of tin drums built into a building and functioning as \"wind catchers\" in Lithuania or abroad. Unfortunately, the wind organ discovered and restored during the renovation is not working, but it has been brought back to life in a different form in the Palanga Resort Museum exhibition.<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><strong>Villa Baltoji<\/strong> (Birut\u0117s al. 33)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\"><strong>Villa Baltoji<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nAt the end of the 19th century, as more and more summer houses were built in Palanga, only two brick villas were constructed. One of them was Villa Baltoji, intended for Count Feliksas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius' good friend and business partner, Duke Mykolas Oginskis (1849\u20131902). The prince did not own the villa for long, as he soon exchanged it for the villa Svitezis, located closer to the sea, which belonged to Countess Marija Ti\u0161kevi\u010di\u016bt\u0117 (1871\u20131943).\r\n\r\nBetween the wars, M. Ti\u0161kevi\u010di\u016bt\u0117 rented the Baltoji villa in the summers to the President of the Republic of Lithuania, Antanas Smetona (1874\u20131944), who would come to Palanga with his family and a whole entourage of servants and advisors. The president's vacation lasted from four to six weeks. A. Smetona enjoyed swimming in the sea, walking in the park and along the seashore, reading a lot, and watching the sun set from the pier every evening. For the convenience of the president and his entourage, the Palanga City Council had built a small, beautiful wooden cabin on the beach, which was surrounded by a low fence with a small sandy area.\r\n\r\nIn 1938, the villa was purchased by Vladas Sta\u0161inskas (1874\u20131944), a public figure and lawyer of the Republic of Lithuania. The building now belongs to his descendants.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><strong>Basanavi\u010diaus Street<\/strong> \u2013 reflects various periods from the Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai family to the present day.<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\"><strong>J. Basanavi\u010diaus Street<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe main street of the resort, which was called Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai Boulevard more than 120 years ago, runs from the oldest part of Palanga, which includes the park, the first villas of the Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai, the theater building, and the Kurhauzas, all the way to the sea. Spacious plots were formed around this street, ensuring exceptional comfort and privacy for their owners. The first wooden villas were built, surprising with their unique architecture and surviving to this day \u2013 Anapilis, J\u016bros akis, Aldona, Pajauta, Baltoji, Romeo, and D\u017eiuljeta. The boulevard naturally extended into the sea, creating a bridge for holidaymakers to stroll along and watch the sun set.\r\n\r\nIn 1921, when Palanga was awarded to Lithuania by a decision of the International Arbitration Commission, Jonas Basanavi\u010dius (1851\u20131927), one of the most famous figures in Lithuanian culture and politics and a scholar and promoter of Lithuanian culture, prepared a report entitled \"From the History of Palanga,\" which is considered to be the first comprehensive study of the history of Palanga. scholar, and promoter of Lithuanian culture, Jonas Basanavi\u010dius (1851\u20131927), prepared a report entitled \"From the History of Palanga,\" which is considered the first historical study of the Palanga region. In 1924, J. Basanavi\u010dius visited Palanga and was treated at one of its sanatoriums. That same summer, he celebrated his name day in Palanga with two other patriarchs of the Lithuanian nation, Jonas \u0160li\u016bpas (1861\u20131944) and Jonas Jablonskis (1860\u20131930). In the same year, the Palanga District Council renamed Ti\u0161kevi\u010di\u0173 Boulevard after Jonas Basanavi\u010dius. Since 2002, the beginning of this street has been adorned with a bust of J. Basanavi\u010dius (sculptor \u2013 Juozas Zikaras, architect \u2013 Vytautas Moncevi\u010dius).\r\n\r\nToday, J. Basanavi\u010diaus Street is the main entertainment street in Palanga, with bars, restaurants, and other places of entertainment. For vacationers, walking down this street to the bridge and watching the sun set from there remains one of the most important resort activities.<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><strong>Restaurant Vasara<\/strong> (now a nightclub, S. N\u0117ries g. 39)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\"><strong>Restaurant Vasara<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the middle of the 20th century, the restaurant Vasara was built in Palanga and was considered the most important restaurant in the resort for a long time. Designed by architect Aleksandras Eigirdas in 1964 and built in 1967, the building became a kind of icon of Lithuanian modernism. Vasara was the first building in the entire former Soviet Union to use a new thin-walled reinforced concrete construction technology. The restaurant was round and glass-walled. In the evenings, the decorations inside glowed from afar. Due to its unique architectural design, it became perhaps the most important landmark representing the resort town of Palanga in various informational publications.\r\n\r\nThe restaurant was only open in the summer and was intended to serve independent vacationers. To this day, stories circulate that having dinner at Vasara was considered prestigious, and due to the long queues, not everyone was able to do so. Even the intense heat inside the building, which was like a greenhouse due to its glass construction, did not deter resort visitors.\r\n\r\nIn 2003, the building was renovated and modernized. The spiral staircase, the column supporting the building, and the exterior of the building remained almost unchanged, retaining its cylindrical shape and authentic window partitions.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><strong>Villa Aldona<\/strong> (now the Eureka House of Illusions, J. Basanavi\u010diaus g. 24A)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\"><strong>Eureka House of Illusions<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe most beautiful and architecturally interesting villas in Palanga were built by the Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai. One of these is Villa Aldona, which originally belonged to Vladislav Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius (1865\u20131936), who was very interested in culture. He was the editor of the first humorous newspaper La Limande (The Flounder), published in Palanga in the summer of 1886. He signed his articles under the pseudonym M. Monstre. Four issues were published. They reviewed the advantages of the Palanga resort, the abundance of vacationers, their distribution according to social status and nationality, the purposes of vacationing at the resort, and events at the resort, as well as cultural, economic, and financial news.\r\n\r\nFrom 1902, the Aldona villa was owned by the count's mother, Sofija Ti\u0161kevi\u010dien\u0117 (1837\u20131919). The villa stood out not only for its wooden decorations, but also for its open gazebos, attics, and well-planned wide driveway. There are legends about the origin of the villa's name. It is believed that the name is related to the character Aldona in the poem \"Konradas Valenrodas\" by the poet Adomas Mickevi\u010dius.\r\n\r\nAt the beginning of the 20th century, Countess S. Ti\u0161kevi\u010dien\u0117 rented out the villa and established the Olga guesthouse there.\r\n\r\nIn 2017, a unique entertainment complex, the Eureka House of Illusions, was established in the villa. Visitors have the opportunity to see themselves in unusual situations and environments that are completely unfamiliar to them, try out various experiments, and even experience more intense sensations.<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><strong>Palanga Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary<\/strong> (Vytauto g. 51)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\"><strong>Palanga Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe first small wooden Catholic church in Palanga was built in 1554 on the initiative of Stephen B\u00e1thory's wife, Anna Jagiellon. Another cross-shaped church with a tower and a belfry was built in 1590 on the initiative of the rulers of Lithuania at that time. The church was rebuilt in 1767 and stood for 140 years. In 1897, a new neo-Gothic church was built next to the old wooden one, designed by Swedish architect Karl Eduard Strandmann. The Roman numerals above the main gate indicate that the construction of Palanga Church was completed in 1907.\r\n\r\nThe church has an impressive pulpit and three artistic altars decorated with bas-reliefs made of marble brought from France. The central altar features a painting of the Virgin Mary, which dates back to the 17th century. The other two wooden altars in the side aisles were moved from the previous wooden church.\r\n\r\nIn her memoirs, educator and writer Aleksandra \u0160ilgalyt\u0117 describes the day of March 23, 1915, when Palanga was bombed by the German navy. After the bombing, Palanga looked unrecognizable to the author, who was especially shocked by the appearance of the church and the churchyard: a large part of the churchyard fence was demolished, the walls of the church looked as if they had been pecked at by birds, the windows were broken, and the stained glass had turned into piles of colored glass. She also describes a story she heard about how, on the morning of March 23, when people gathered in the church to listen to Mass, a deafening sound suddenly rang out and a huge shell from the front of the altar of St. The priest and parishioners rushed to hide in the church basement, where they celebrated Mass. The priest and parishioners rushed to hide in the church basement, where they celebrated Mass. It is believed that if the explosive had detonated, the church would have been completely destroyed. The shell was removed by German soldiers themselves.\r\n\r\nOn April 1, 2018, the tower with an observation deck began operating at the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Palanga. The height of the church tower is 24 meters.<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><strong>Kurhauzas<\/strong> (Graf\u0173 Ti\u0161kevi\u010di\u0173 al. 1)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\"><strong>Kurhauzas<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nPalanga began to gain popularity as a summer resort in the second quarter of the 19th century, but for a long time it lacked recreational facilities such as restaurants, summer houses, and hotels. In 1877, Count Juozapas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius (1835\u20131891), the founder of the Palanga resort, built the first restaurant, which he expanded in 1880 and turned into a hotel. Such multifunctional leisure houses, called kurhauzes, were one of the main elements of every resort town, so the Palanga kurhauzas soon became the center of the emerging resort. Summer visitors were particularly fond of it because it had a restaurant, a reading room, billiard and game rooms, and various concerts, dance evenings, performances, and other entertainment events were organized there. For a long time, the Kurhaus was the only hotel in Palanga.\r\n\r\nIn 1905, the newly established resort administration and information office began operating in the Kurhaus. Holidaymakers arriving in Palanga had to register and pay various resort fees within 24 hours. The resort administration constantly ensured that holidaymakers had a comfortable stay and were not short of entertainment.\r\n\r\nThe Palanga Kurhaus was constantly renovated, expanded, and rebuilt, so it never achieved a stylistically uniform form. In 1909, it underwent its most serious reconstruction. During this time, water and sewage systems were installed, and a large hall decorated with impressive classicist moldings and a raised stage was added. An Art Nouveau-style veranda with a view of the new Palanga church was added to the northern facade.\r\n\r\nIn the interwar period, the Kurhaus became the most popular entertainment venue in Palanga, attracting the educated intelligentsia, who were passionate about the idea of freedom of thought. At that time, the building was lit by electricity and had a telephone. For a long time, the Kurhaus was the main venue for cultural events in the town. It housed the resort association organization.\r\n\r\nThe Kurhaus, considered a symbol of the Palanga resort, burned down in 2002. The brick part was rebuilt in 2013, and the wooden part in 2020.<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><strong>Theatre<\/strong> (Palanga Concert Hall, Vytauto g. 43)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\"><strong>Theatre<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nIn the 1890s, Count Juozapas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius built a modest wooden theater near his family's summer residence for the entertainment of his family and guests. It was used for amateur performances by family members and acquaintances. At the beginning of the 20th century, with more and more vacationers coming to Palanga and seeing the need for this type of cultural institution, Feliksas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius built a new 600-seat theater building in 1908, which, according to the press at the time, was \"as beautiful as Palanga.\" Unfortunately, the new theater did not impress the audience, who complained about the smell of mold, poor acoustics, and lighting. As a result, after the first summer season, it was decided to renovate it, and apparently due to the repairs, a fire broke out in May 1909 and the building burned down.\r\n\r\nIn 1910, a new, much more modest single-story wooden theater building was constructed. This building served theater lovers for several decades, but it also burned down in 1934.\r\n\r\nIn 1939, Palanga architect Vadimas Lvovas (1906\u20131940) designed and built a summer stage on the same site. It is believed that during the Soviet era, it was rebuilt and moved to the park grounds.\r\n\r\nIn 1971, the famous Palanga Summer Stage with a capacity of 1,000 people was built (architect Vytautas Gerulis). It hosted concerts by famous performers of the time and various entertainment events.\r\nAfter serving for 40 years during the summer season, the stage was demolished in 2013 and replaced in 2015 with a modern concert hall with 2,200 seats, resembling a music box, which is open all year round.<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><strong>Ti\u0161kevi\u010di\u0173 Alley<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\"><strong>Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai Alley<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nWhen creating the Palanga resort, the Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai built buildings for recreation and entertainment and created various recreational areas for the enjoyment of holidaymakers: parks, gardens, and alleys. One of the oldest parts of the Palanga resort is the promenade, laid out at the end of the 19th century parallel to Liepojos Street (now Vytauto Street). The Kurhauzo Park was established here, and the first villas of the Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai and a theater building were constructed. Around 1910, the main Art Nouveau gates to the center of the Palanga resort were built at the beginning of the alley. A fee was collected there for entry to the resort park.\r\n\r\nIn 2017, in honor of the Counts Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai and their contribution to the establishment of the Palanga resort, the alley was restored, the destroyed gates were rebuilt, and sculptures of Count Feliksas Ti\u0161kevi\u010dius and his wife Countess Antanina Sofija Ti\u0161kevi\u010dien\u0117 were unveiled (sculptor Klaudijus P\u016bdymas, architect Snieguol\u0117 Stripinien\u0117). The pavement of the alley is decorated with the Ti\u0161kevi\u010diai family motto engraved in Latin and Lithuanian: \"Deligas quem diligas\" and \"I\u0161sirink, k\u0105 myli\" (Choose what you love).\r\n\r\nThe alley is further enhanced and made even more charming by a sculpture park, where visitors can admire 28 sculptures created by famous Lithuanian and foreign sculptors.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><strong>Old Pharmacy<\/strong> (Vytauto g. 33)<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\"><strong>Palanga Old Pharmacy<\/strong>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nThe old pharmacy in Palanga, established in 1827, is still in operation today. It is believed that it was built in the 3rd or 4th decade of the 19th century.\r\n\r\nThe founder and first owner of the Palanga pharmacy was Wilhelm Johann Gr\u00fcning, a German from Riga. Later, the pharmacy was inherited by his son Wilhelm, who studied pharmacy at the University of Dorpat and had a master's degree in pharmacy. The Palanga pharmacy became famous for patenting the production of an original 27-herb extract called \"Trejos devynerios\" (Three Nines). The pharmacy also produced the famous tincture mixture \"Essentia cordialis\" or \"Tinctura Schr\u00e4deri\" according to a recipe by Dr. Schr\u00e4der from Klaip\u0117da, as well as patented medicines made from iron mixtures. The pharmacy had the trademark \"Raudonas raktas\" (Red Key). During the Lithuanian press ban, the owners of the Palanga pharmacy, father and son Gr\u00fcningai, printed prescriptions and medicine labels in Lithuanian.\r\n\r\nFrom 1910, the pharmacy belonged to Wilhelm Bertnig, and was later inherited by his son Oskaras Aleksandras. From 1940 to 1944, the northern wing of the pharmacy housed a library, and later, until 1951, it was the headquarters of the NKVD. After the war, the pharmacy became a state-owned enterprise. Today, the building is privately owned.<\/td>\r\n<td width=\"215\"><\/td>\r\n<td width=\"502\"><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>","irasas_1_adresas":"","irasas_1_google_maps_nuoroda":"","irasas_1_telefonas_1":"","irasas_1_telefonas_2":"","irasas_1_el_pastas":"","irasas_1_tinklalapis":"","irasas_1_booking_nuoroda":"","irasas_1_tripadvisor_nuoroda":"","irasas_1_facebook_nuoroda":"","irasas_1_instagram_nuoroda":"","irasas_1_galerija":"","irasas_1_zemelapis":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visit-palanga.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/veikla\/60590","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visit-palanga.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/veikla"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visit-palanga.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/veikla"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.visit-palanga.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/veikla\/60590\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60600,"href":"https:\/\/www.visit-palanga.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/veikla\/60590\/revisions\/60600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visit-palanga.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"veiklu_kategorija","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visit-palanga.lt\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/veiklu_kategorija?post=60590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}