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Palanga Botanical Park This landscape park is one of the prettiest, best preserved, and best maintained parks in Lithuania’s coastal region. In 1897 Count Feliksas Tiškevičius founded this park around the palace built in the same year. The park was designed by the famous French landscape architect and botanist Eduard Fransua André, (1840 – 1911), who spent three summers in Palanga with his son René Eduard André (1867 – 1942) supervising the park’s construction. The Belgian gardener Buyssen de Coulon assisted them.
The contrast of scenery is emphasized by the palace’s regular shape: the northern side of which opens onto a magnificent terrace with the steps leading into the park. Flowers and a fountain add more to the effect.
The southern side of the palace is surrounded by an oval rose garden that is connected to the palace’s terraces by stairs.
Experts guess that the park’s founders planted about 500 different kinds of trees and bushes. The trees were brought to Palanga from Berlin, Karaliaučius and other European botanical gardens.
Today the park covers an area of approximately 100 ha. Trees cover 60 ha, fields – 24,5 ha, flowers – 0,5 ha, flowing water – 1,16 ha. There are 7 sculptures and a number of other architectural structures there. The park has watering and decorative lighting systems.
The park is financed by the town of Palanga.
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The palace of Count Feliksas Tiškevičius (now Amber Museum). The palace was built in 1897 according to the project of a German architect Franz Schwechten. The estate palace in neo–renaissance style is an inseparable part of the park’s ensemble. A. Brusokas restored the palace in 1957. The family of Counts Tiškevičiai resided in the palace until 1941.
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Birutė’s hill. This relict dune, as the highest dune at the seaside of Palanga, is mapped in the large maps since XVII c. The name of Birutė’s hill is linked with a romantic story of priestess Birutė, who married to the Grand Duke of Lithuania Kęstutis and gave birth to Vytautas, the most famous Lithuanian Grand Duke. In 1989 the archaeologists found the evidences of a pagan sanctuary and observatory, which had existed on the top of Birutė hill in XIV-XV c.In 1869 a chapel was built there according to the project of architect K. Majer. In 1976 stained-glass windows were arranged in this chapel (author L. Pocius). At the foot of the hill there is a sculpture “For you, Birute” (sculptress K. Tulienė, 1965).
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The street of J. Basanavičius. Earlier this street had a name of street or boulevard of Tiškevičius. In the summer of 1923 Dr. J. Basanavičius was visiting Palanga. In the honour of the nation’s Patriarch, the inhabitants of Palanga named this boulevard J. Basanavičiaus Street.
Holidaymakers promenade along this street willingly, because there are a lot of cafes and different attractions. This is the main street leading to the Pier.
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Pier. It is difficult to imagine Palanga without the Pier. A superb view of dunes, beaches and limitless sea opens from it. There You can listen to the murmur of the sea, yell of seagulls, watch the sunsets that are different each time.
At the end of the XIX c holidaymakers had a lot of inconveniences when reaching Palanga from Liepaja or Klaipėda by carriages. Intending to build a landing stage for ships, in 1884 – 1888 the Count Juozapas Tiškevičius built a pier leading into the sea. A merchant – passenger vessel “Phoenix” used to carry holidaymakers, goods and food from Liepaja. But every time after storms the landing stage was covered with sand and after a few years it was not usable for navigation. In the course of time, the pier has become one of the most important symbols of Palanga resort. Unfortunately, time, sea waves, and wind have been devastating this construction. In 1998 a new pier of 470 metres length was built. Today it is a favourite place for rendezvous, promenades, and saying good-bye to the sun….
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Pajūrio (seaside) Regional Park. The Seaside Regional Park is governmentally protected territory of the Lithuanian seaside from Klaipėda city to Old Palanga. The Park takes up 5033 ha in overland and 30 km in the water area of the sea. The park was established in September 1992. There are nature reserve of Placis Lake, Olandų (Dutchman’s) cap and scarp, Nemirseta and Šaipiai landscapes, Karklė botanical, Kalotė botanical-zoological, Karklė telasological (sea) and ethno cultural reserves, recreational and agro territories. You can explore Seaside Regional Park on foot, by bikes or to take horses. Tel. (8-46) 398834.
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Žemaičių alkas.
In XIV c. on the top of Birutė hill astronomical observations were carried out. The replica of this paleoastronomic observatory was constructed in the northern part of Šventoji settlement, not far from Health centre “Energetikas”, and was named as “Žemaičių alkas” (Samogitian sanctuary). The research was carried out by Palanga branch of Samogitians’ culture organisation. In June 1998, wooden poles carved by folk artists were put up on the dune. Each column corresponds to the names of mythological gods and goddesses of the Balts: Perkūnas (Thunder), Aušrinė (Morning star the Venus), Žemyna (Goddess of Earth Vitality), Austėja (Goddess of Bees), Ondenis (Water God), Patrimpas (God of plants and Spring), Patulas (Unger earth God), Velnias (God of Dead Souls), Leda (Mother of Gods) and heavenly bodies - Saulė (the Sun) and Mėnulis (the Moon). With the help of these poles, it is possible to fix the main calendar holidays of the Balts: Dew holiday, Stork’s Day, Shrove Thuesday, Christmas etc.
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Church of Saint Marie. In 1897 - 1906 a catholic church in style neo gothic was build by project of Swedish architect K. Strandman. This 76 m. high building still in these days highest building in Palanga. Building of church came to 90 000 gold rubles, Count Tiskevicius made a donation of 30 000 of them. This is third Palanga church. Earlier it was situated in place of hotel Meguva. The acoustics of the church are perfect.
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Palanga Guild of Amber Masters
Tel. +370 652 36644
Open for visitors amber processing studio
Vytauto 21/ S. Dariaus ir S. Girėno 27
Palanga Guild of Amber Masters is a public organisation founded at the end of 2000 and joining 26 amber craftsmen with their families. The members of the Guild protect and maintain the tradition of amber craftsmanship, participate in republican and international exhibitions, apply new technologies for amber processing, manufacture individual orders of amber jewellery.
At Palanga Amber processing studio the members of the guild will show you how a natural piece of amber turns into an item of jewellery. Visitors will also be given a try. The exhibition of amber artefacts is opened there in the gallery
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Kretingos st. 1, Palanga • Phone: 8 460 48811 • Fax: 8 460 48822 • E-mail: info@palangatic.lt
This website is prepared having received financial support of European Union PHARE prgram.