Biržai Castle, Renaissance castle in Biržai, Lithuania
Biržai Castle is a stone fortress featuring Italian-style bastions and defensive walls built on an artificial peninsula in Lake Širvėna. The structure combines a palace section that now holds museum galleries and a library, with surrounding fortifications and storage buildings forming its outer ring.
Construction began in 1586 under Krzysztof Radziwiłł, and the fortress served as a critical stronghold during Lithuanian wars against Sweden in later centuries. The structure reflects the military importance this location held in regional conflicts of the early modern period.
The castle houses the Sėla Regional Museum, displaying archaeological finds and ancient brewing equipment that reveal how the Selonian and Semigalian peoples lived. These collections let visitors understand the region's past through objects people actually used in daily life.
Visitors can explore both the palace section containing museum galleries and library, as well as the surrounding defensive walls and arsenal buildings. Wear sturdy shoes when visiting, as pathways cross the artificial peninsula and ground conditions can vary with weather.
Lake Širvėna was created artificially during the fortress construction, making it Lithuania's first man-made water reservoir. This 16th-century engineering achievement demonstrates the ambition and technical knowledge required to reshape the landscape for defense.
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