Krakeniškės Manor

Krakeniškės Manor is located in Rambynas regional park, on both sides of the Nemunas river. Fertile meadows of the Nemunas were perfect for animal husbandry. That is precisely why Krakeniškiai has always been a settlement of floodplain farmers.

And only later, after the Nemunas channel was widened, meadows were drained, protective embankments were installed and bridges rose over the old channels, did agriculture began.

There are 3 northern homesteads mentioned in the middle of 19th century. All them together were named as the Krakoniškės palivark. In 1920 the right-bank settlement of Krakoniškiai was assigned to Pagėgiai county. In 1922 two small manors were noted in this area, managed by Jurgis Milkutaitis and Julius Vedler. Jurgis owned 8 ha of land, while Julius Vedler - 86 ha of land. The Vedler family was known to be living in the manor for almost a decade. 

The Vedlers raised the horses that made the Manor famous. The Krakeniški palivark was one of the units of the state-owned Naujoji Ragainė (Neuhof-Ragnit Remonteamt) horse farm.  It was the largest horse farm out of five in East Prussia (the other farm divisions: Klein-Neuhof, Paskalwen, Girschunen, Gudgallen, Bambe were smaller). All farms were subordinate to the German Ministry of Defense.

​The heyday of the Vedlers lasted until World War II. The long-time owners of the Krakeniškiai Manor probably sold the manor and left Lithuania. 

In 1991 many of the Manors buildings were demolished: two brick barns, a barn, and a wooden vegetable garden. Only a large dilapidated house with cellars remained standing. The same one that was once the most beautiful building in the Little Lithuania...

It is said that a hundred-year-old larch tree grew near the Manor - a sign of the affluent life of those times. The tree is gone today... Only in the branches of the small-leaved linden, which had been disturbed by the storms, autumn - the annual guest of the manor - plays mischievously...