The manor in the castle of Birzai by Bernt Rostad

The beautiful white manor in the castle of Biržai. The Biržai bastion Castle was built in 16th-17th century. It is the best remaining example of classical private fortifications in the territory of Lithuania. During the Livonian wars the Castle was a significant resistance point of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, until it was destroyed in 1704 by the Swedish Army. The defensive complex consisted of fortifications and 21 buildings. Today visitors can still see remains of the Castle's double defensive ramparts, the moat and the Army's drill ground. The representative manor, two gun powder magazines and the bridge were rebuilt in 1978-1988. In 1704 during the Northern War (1700-1721) the Swedish Army under general A. L. Levenhaupt took the Castle and had all the buildings detonated.