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Biržai Castle Palace-Museum

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Duke Kristupas Radvila (1547–1603) built the most modern bastion fortress of its time in Lithuania in Biržai. Construction began in 1575 after damming the Apaščia and Agluona rivers. By 1589, the fortress was completed, featuring a palace, an Evangelical Reformed church, an arsenal, and barracks. The wars between Lithuania and Sweden (1600–1660) in the 17th century repeatedly destroyed the fortress. In 1637, Kristupas II Radvila initiated its reconstruction based on the Dutch fortification model. In 1659, Bogusław Radvila regained the castle, but construction halted after his death. In 1671, his daughter, Ludwika Karolina Radvilaitė, resumed the work, and by 1682, a larger defensive complex had been built. During the Great Northern War (1700–1721), the Swedes captured and destroyed the castle. Between 1978 and 1986, the representative palace was restored, followed by the gunpowder magazine, bridge, and arsenal building.

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Castles
Birzai
Biržai Tourism and Business Information Center

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Duke Kristupas Radvila (1547–1603), seeking to protect the lands of Biržai and Lithuania’s northern border, built the most modern bastion fortress in late 16th-century Lithuania. Construction began in 1575 with the creation of a dam at the confluence of the Apaščia and Agluona rivers, and between 1586 and 1589, ramparts, a representative palace, an Evangelical Reformed church, an arsenal, barracks, and other important buildings were erected. This bastion fortress and the town formed a unified defensive complex. At the beginning of the 17th century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth became involved in wars with Sweden (1600–1660), during which the Biržai fortress was destroyed in 1625. In 1637, Duke Kristupas II Radvila initiated the reconstruction of the fortress according to a new Dutch-style fortification model, characterized by powerful earth ramparts and bastions. His son, Jonušas Radvila (1612–1655), continued the reconstruction, but in 1655, the Swedes captured the castle. In 1659, Bogusław Radvila (1620–1669) regained the fortress and, while residing in Königsberg, oversaw its restoration. A master plan was

prepared in 1662, but construction stopped after his death in 1669. In his will, Bogusław left all his property to his daughter, Ludwika Karolina Radvilaitė (1667–1695), who resumed the work in 1671. By 1682, a massive defensive complex with a palace, fortifications, and 21 buildings was completed. During the Great Northern War (1700–1721), Biržai became a key battleground. In 1701, Russian Tsar Peter I and Polish-Lithuanian King Augustus II signed a treaty here against Sweden. However, that same year, the Swedes occupied the town, which was only regained in 1703. In 1704, the Swedish army, led by General A. L. Levenhaupt, once again captured the fortress and, upon retreating, blew it up. The representative palace of Biržai Castle was restored between 1978 and 1986. In 1987, a public library was established there, followed by the Biržai Regional Museum "Sėla" in 1989. Alongside the palace, other elements of the 17th–18th-century bastion fortress built by the Radvila family were reconstructed, including two gunpowder magazines, a bridge, and the arsenal building—reviving the grandeur of Biržai’s historic past.

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