The names of Panemunė, Gelgaudas, Zamkus, Vytėnai and Panemunė again. The change of the castle names in Jurbarkas District remind of its turbulent history. Over more than 400 years, the Panemunė Castle and its park have survived the Revival, but they faced the dark ages again. What period are they accompanied now?

Let’s move to the 17th century: the luxurious Panemunė castle of Renaissance style was built on a high bank of the Nemunas. It was designed by Peter Nonhart, an architect of Dutch origin, to Jan Eperjesz, a nobleman from Hungary. The residence castle built in Renaissance style was ruled by this noble family and its descendants for 150 years.

In 1759 the Panemunė Castle was handed over to Antanas Gelgaudas, flag operator of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and experienced its Renaissance. We can see the lady of the palace Barbora Judickaitė, the wife of A. Gelgaudas, walking in the newly installed library. When we look through the windows that once replaced the shooting apertures, we can see an exquisite garden. There are five ponds lying quietly and a rotating water mill. In the nearby the centuries-old lindens we can hear birds twittering. On the horizon of the park the Gelgaudas Oak is dispersing its glory. Fallow deers pasture in pens, and the little Mykolas Gelgaudas is running across the conservatory of exotic flowers.

Unfortunately, this idyllic setting of the castle's inhabitants did not last long. After the death of the elder Antanas Gelgaudas, the castle was transferred to the grown up son Mykolas, and later on to his wife Eleonora and their children Antanas and Jonas. Both brothers were active participants of the Uprising of 1831 in the Russian Empire. After the collapse of the uprising, the sons of Gelgaudas were declared criminals of the state, and the castle was expropriated by the authorities of the Tzar. This is the way the magnificent beauty of the Panemunė Castle and Park vanished year by year. For many years, the Palace was drowning in disasters and it seemed its majesty would never be restored. Heel clapping of the aristocrat ladies were replaced by the heavy steps of soldiers. It is said that criminals used to be moved down to the lockup located in the territory of the castle using ropes, and the light would get into the chamber through a narrow aperture only at midday in a sunny day. It might be the souls of the prisoners are haunting in the southwest tower until now.

Still, during that many difficult years the walls of the Panemunė Castle and the 400-year- old Gelgaudas Oak remained unmoved. The centuries-old lindens were replaced by spectacular poplars, and the representative chambers were installed with exhibitions and hotel rooms. Indeed, Panemunė Castle radiates its greatness again, and its Park is finally surrounded by tranquility.