Fragments of the Rasiai Manor farmstead

2.4 km from Vinksnupiai manor, the abandoned Rasiai manor is collapsing. Unique code 872 in the Register of Cultural Property.

In the early times of the GDL, the territory of Rasiai Manor belonged to the Trakai province. In 1562, Rasiai is mentioned as a royal estate, where taxes are collected by a cordinator. In 1766 Rasiai was transferred by right of majorate to a nobleman of Tatar origin, Mateusz Baranowski. In 1784, the surnames of M. Baranowski and Patiltys are mentioned among the manor managers. In 1827, there were three houses in the manor with a population of 15 people. In 1837, the wooden manor in poor condition was owned by Elizabeth Konarska-Jagmin, the widow of John Nepomuk-Jagmin.

In the 1880s, the Lithuanian public figure Jonas Basanavičius, who lived nearby, visited the Rasiai manor several times. In 1885, the property consisted of 492 hectares of land, 9 brick and 8 wooden buildings.

The owner, Joaquim Galera, and the other Galer’s family members, who ran the farm from the second half of the 19th century until 1928, mechanised the farm and continuously worked on raising better breeds of livestock. At the end of the 19th century, the manor was managed by the landowner and town engineer Richard Galeras. In 1909, the manor belonged to Joaquim Galera. The landlord was one of the first in the region to acquire horse-drawn logging machines. In 1919, the Rasiai Primary School was moved to the manor house of German, the manor’s housekeeper, and was attended by about 40 peasant children. After the death of Joaquim Galera in 1928, the property was taken over by his wife, Joana Galerienė, who was very active in the social life of the Vilkaviskis region. The last known owner of the manor was Kupčiūnas, a Lithuanian, who was exiled to Siberia with his family in the post-war years. During the Soviet era, the planned structure of the estate was destroyed, and the buildings were used to keep livestock for the collective farm company. After independence, the manor was returned to the Kupčiūnas family, but some of the manor’s buildings decayed or were abandoned.

Source: https://kvr.kpd.lt