IN THE TRACK OF THE OGINSKIAI, TIŠKEVIČIAI, AND OTHER NOBEL FAMILIES (PART II)

On 5 September 2008, the staff of the Birštonas Tourist Information Centre set off on the last journey this year. We came back to the same Oginski route we had not finished. This time Žiežmariai, Mūro Strėvininkai and Semeliškės awaited us.

ŽIEŽMARIAI is a small town with narrow streets, multi-coloured wooden and cosy brick houses. A wooden Jewish synagogue looks particularly impressive. This collapsing monument of wooden architecture is included in the European Routes of Jewish Heritage as a valuable monument.

From the 16th century the village MŪRO STRĖVININKAI was owned by Oginskiai, who not long afterwards built an impressive palace, which in the 19th century homed a textile and leaching factory, the activities of which were supervised by a Scottish weaver John Garvis, who has been invited by Oginskiai. Bleaching activities were supervised by master Robertson.  After the uprising in 1861 the palace was seized. Currently the palace homes ill elderly people.  

SEMELIŠKĖS welcomes with colourful houses and cosiness, which many cities and towns have already lost, mysterious magnificent buildings, the lovely River Strėva, cobbled streets and sometimes sad empty holes of windows covered with fire soot... However, it is the place where you want to come back, revisit the wooden Church of Saint Lawrence and bow to the picture of Saint Rochus, touch the gate of the Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas, linger at the decaying manor estate or listen to the murmur of the streamlet at the mill, which has been restored to life…