Gelgaudiškis

History

Before the end of the 14th century the area of Gelgaudiškis settlement and manor, positioned on the upper bank of Neman, belonged to the Grand Dukes of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1504, King and Grand Duke Aleksander Jagiellon gave it away as a gift to his royal secretary Sapieżyc, progenitor to the szlachta family of Sapieha. Afterwards, the grange belonged to families of Massalski, Dembiński, Oziembłowski, Giełgud, Czartoryski, the Prussian barons Von Keudell, and finally Komar family (till the beginning of World War I). The classicist palace was built in the first half of the 19th century by the family of von Keudell. In the interwar period, the establishment was nationalized and housed an orphanage and later a school. After the fire of 1979 the palace was rebuilt and since remains unoccupied. It is surrounded by a garden and forested park with an area of 112 ha leading to Neman () River. The town and nearby castle is mentioned in John Gielgud: The Authorized Biography, (by Sheridan Morley), as being the actor's ancestral home and from where his family name originated. During World War I, it was occupied by Germany. During World War II, it was occupied by the Soviet Union from 1940, by Nazi Germany from 1941, and then once again by the Soviet Union from 1944.

Most-observed species

• White Stork

  Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  46
• White Wagtail

  Motacilla alba Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  45
• Peacock

  Aglais io (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  42
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  41
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  40
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  37
• European Bee-eater

  Merops apiaster Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  36
• Eurasian Skylark

  Alauda arvensis Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  33