The slave tower is a small, tall quadrangular building with thick walls and openings in the upper part, built of unhewn field stones, bricks, lime and clay mortar, located in the Stelmužės manor park, by the Padvarinė (Stelmužės) lake. 17th-19th centuries here was a manor, first ruled by the German Folkersams, and later by the czar's courtiers, the Valuevs, who were famous for their cruelty. In the tower they built, they imprisoned and punished serfs who had committed crimes - they locked them up for the night and sent them back to work during the day. The slave tower served as a prison. The walls of this tower are 0.75 m thick. The building is restored, registered in the 17th century. list of architectural monuments. Historical sources record that, unable to endure the cruelty of the manor owners, serfs often ran away from Stelmuža or even committed suicide. There are also disagreements about the original purpose of this manor building - it is likely that it was an ice cream parlor and was only later used as a place of punishment by cruel managers. Although ice cream parlors are often installed underground or have a basement, the facts of the thickness of the walls and the location (near the lake) confirm the original purpose of the "refrigerator".
Translated by Google •
In the know? Log-in to add a tip for other adventurers!