The Tiškevičius residence in Landvarov is a representative example of a large-scale complex, formed for a noble family in the lands of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The value of the building (already due to its high-class architecture) is complemented by the memoirs of its famous owners. Significantly, the chateau is also one of the best documented Neo-Gothic residences - the author of the designs for the garden layout is known.

History of the Landvar residence
Landvarov (a.k.a. Landvarov), located in the Vilnius district, is one of the centres with medieval origins. The earliest records date back to the 14th century, but the origins of the village can be traced to the 11th century. The first important person in whose hands the above mentioned estate was located was Jan Sokołowicz-Kuncewicz, marshal of the court of Sigismund Augustus. In later times, Landwarów changed owners many times - the most important landlords included the Sapieha, Naruszewicz, Chodkiewicz and Dąbrowski families.

A key moment for the architectural history of the estate was the purchase of the estate in 1855 by Józef Tyszkiewicz, who expanded the residence in the following decade. The residence was given an irregular shape with a high neo-Gothic tower as the main accent. The same style was used for, among others, the finials over part of the palace and the polygonal tower. The appearance of the mansion during this period was captured in a lithograph by Napoleon Orda, who also showed the staircase leading from the building to the lake shore. The writer and ethnographer Edward Chłopicki visited the rebuilt Landwar during one of his sightseeing trips, noting that: "the palace (...) in the Swiss style, is mainly distinguished by its recumbent turret and wide, iron-posted driveway porch".

The tall, free-standing tower and the pointed entrance gate topped with a bronze statue of a horse - documented both in Orda's print and in an illustration published in Kłosy in 1887 - also acquired a neo-Gothic character. Visitors appreciated the scenic qualities, complemented by the composed vegetation, ponds, fountain and sculptures. The pavilions completing the functional programme - including the distillery, mills and farm buildings - could not be missed either.

After the death of Józef Tyszkiewicz in 1891, Landwarów became the property of his son Władysław, who carried out another reconstruction in the spirit of Neo-Gothic. The work that gave the palace the form it has retained to the present day was one of the most spectacular works of the late 19th century.

André and de Waegh. The residence of Władysław Tyszkiewicz
. Born in 1865, Wladyslaw Tyszkiewicz was an important figure for economic and cultural development in the lands of the Republic. He was educated in Paris at the School of Political Science, and then in Milan, where he acquired knowledge of automobiles. The Count was distinguished by his patriotic attitude - he was involved in activities leading to the evacuation of his compatriots from the Crimea, strove for the rights of Poles in Lithuania, and from 1903 led the Warsaw Society for the Promotion of Polish Industry and Trade. He also supported culture and the arts, being one of the co-founders of the capital's Philharmonic Hall, for example. An important role in Tyszkiewicz's sense of identity was played by the memory of his native residence in Landwarow - he alluded to the name of the estate when running an antique shop, 'Warowland', during his studies in the Lombardian capital.

After inheriting the palace grounds, the Count decided to redesign the residence and its surroundings. De Waegh, a Belgian architect who probably collaborated with Tadeusz Rostworowski and Leander Marconi on the project, was engaged. The origin of the project's main designer contributed to the introduction of Dutch motifs, such as the combination of brick with cemented masonry parts, introduced, for example, in the corners of the risalits and in the window frames. At the same time, the use of various European inspirations was in keeping with the trends of the 1890s, when there was still interest in forms derived from the Middle Ages, but when English models were gradually being abandoned (in favour of more varied inspirations). The project was completed in 1899. The finished palace took on a form that has mostly survived to this day. The building is predominantly two-storey, with elevated risalits and a high truss, the form of which was then considerably monumentalised. The main entrance, framed by a pointed portal, is located in the central risalit, which is connected to the side risalits by arcades. On the other side, the façade reproduced the layout of the three risalits, but the central projection was shaped as a polygon. The palace was impressive for its scale and at the same time for its attention to detail, which was differentiated according to the floor and function of the particular part of the wall, giving the building a decorative character. The interiors of the Landvar residence were equally interesting. In the spacious two-storey vestibule (with a stone staircase leading to the first floor), the attention was drawn to the statues of Apollo and Flora set in niches. The ground floor also housed one of the most prestigious spaces, which was to testify to the owner's intellectual horizons - the library. The room's furnishings consisted mainly of mahogany cabinets in which a rich collection of volumes was stored. Among the rooms situated on the piano nobile, the ballroom and the dining room deserve special attention. The former had walls upholstered with red fabric and its furniture included furniture imported from the Palazzo Torlonia in Rome and paintings by Guido Reni, Jacopo Bassano and Antoon van Dyck, among others. The dining room, on the other hand, housed a valuable collection of porcelain (including 18th-century wares from the Meissen manufactory and French faience). These examples of decoration indicate an important feature of the palace and its owner, related to the acquisition and importation of works of art and artistic craftsmanship to Landwarow. As a result, the residence became a place for the collection and presentation of works depicting various aspects of European culture.

During the time of Wladyslaw Tyszkiewicz, the surroundings of the palace were also transformed. The design of the garden was created by Édouard François André, also employed at the residences of the Tyszkiewicz family in Waca, Zatroczu and Palanga. The French landscape architect became famous in Europe for his involvement in modifying the gardens at Tuilerie, the park at the Villa Borghese in Rome and the castle park in Luxembourg. The surviving accounts of the work at Landwarow record, among other things, the levelling of existing hills and the laying of new ones, the replanting of old trees and the introduction of new vegetation. The regular garden (with parterres forming fine, ornamental patterns) was situated closest to the palace, while at a slightly greater distance a landscaped park was located, planting new trees on the opposite side of the lake and forming picturesque, meandering walking alleys.

In the modern era. Chance to save vs. cultural values of the palace
In 2016, an auction was held, during which the palace and park complex in Landwarow was purchased by an entrepreneur who decided to revitalise the entire complex, i.e. a palace of 1,900 m2 and a park exceeding 2.5 hectares. One of the aims of such an ambitious investment is to restore the garden composition in line with Édouard André's designs. The site itself will be adapted for new functions - the owner plans to create a museum, a café and a restaurant. Work began in 2018 thanks to its own resources and funding from the European Union. Thanks to the revitalisation, the building has a chance to survive - at the time of purchase, the palace was in need of extensive renovation (previous neglect and a fire in 2014, among other factors, contributed to the devastation of the building). Both the soggy walls, structural elements (especially the rotten roof trusses), the facades with numerous damages to bricks and details, and the interiors were in a bad technical condition. The investor's approach was commendable - the owner of the building contacted, among others, people who remembered the palace before the destruction of the last decades. The search for original architectural details and furnishings also began. Objects from the Landvar residence were found, for example, in museums in Warsaw, whose collections contain doors and sculptures depicting personifications of the winds, which originally adorned the balustrades of the balconies.

The ongoing investment is an opportunity to save a monument of particular cultural value. A number of factors contribute to the importance of the palace and park complex in Landwarow. The first group is related to the Neo-Gothic architectural form - the grandeur of the investment, the quality of the high-class details, its inclusion in the trends of the so-called Late Historicism (in which inspirations drawn from various regions of Europe - including the Netherlands - were combined and creatively processed). Also of key importance is the stature of the Tyszkiewicz family as owners, initiators of both reconstructions and collectors bringing works of art to Landwarow (including objects that today belong to museum collections and remain a testimony to the development of 19th century culture). The uniqueness of the residence was also expressed in the shaping of the previously mentioned garden by Édouard André, an artist who gained international recognition. The effect of the transformations started by Jozef and completed by Władysław Tyszkiewicz was appreciated and admired from the very beginning, as evidenced by numerous textual and iconographic records, including postcards, archival photographs of the body, park grounds and interiors of the residence.