Biržai Regional Park Visitor Center houses the exposition intended to introduce the exceptional values of this protected area. The exposition is mainly focused on the topic “The region of the collapsing ground” because Biržai region is known for sinkholes, land subsidence, and interesting geological processes.
Biržai is a unique region with the land surface that goes through active formation by changing the landscape. The ground sinking occurs after gypsum deposits are washed out by groundwater followed by formation of misterious sinkholes: some sinkholes are dry (a famous object of natural heritage...
Biržai is a city in northern Lithuania, in Panevėžys county, 66 km north direction from Panevėžys. The city is situated 201 km north direction from Vilnius and 90 km south direction form Ryga, not far from the state border between Lithuania and Latvia. Agluona and Apaščia rivers flow into the Lake Širvėna in the territory of the city, in the north outskirts of Biržai.
The origin of the name Biržai remains unclear. It can be assumed that the name is derived from a generic word biržis “ beržynas“ ( birch grove ), “ruplusis ber žas“ ( rough birch ), biržė “ber žynėlis“,...
It is the most prominent monument of bastion castles in Lithuania. The castle was built in 1586-1589 to counter attacks of Swedes. Its construction was funded by Krzysztof Mikołaj "Perkūnas" Radziwiłł. Unfortunately, the castle was twice taken over by Swedes.
After recapturing Biržai, the noble Radziwiłł family has restored the castle in 1655-1669, they have rebuilt it according to the project of the Master Ulrich T. Spinowski. In preparation to fight the Great Northern War, the King of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Augustus II and the Russian Tsar Peter the Great signed an agreement in 1701 in Birzai Castle...
Astravas (noble Tyszkiewicz family) manor complex
After Lithuania was annexed by the Russian Empire, Biržai town was overtaken from the noble Radziwiłł family, that has become poor at the time, by the nobleman Tyszkiewicz. In the middle of the 19th century the new owners have built a glamorous two-storey palace of irregular plan with a low mezzanine, high belvedere, two one-storey wing buildings. The palace was built on the shore of the Lake Širvėna. It was built in the Classicistic and Empire styles. Besides the palace, the manor complex also consisted of stables, a hut of dog handler, mill, outbuildings, arch-shaped...
