Birże is a town that for centuries belonged to the powerful Radziwiłł family. There is their castle here, where the museum currently operates, as well as an extensive manor park.
The Radziwiłł family were the owners of Birża from the second half of the 15th century, with breaks until the beginning of the 19th century. Then, the property was transferred to the Tyszkiewicz family, who ruled here until the end of World War II. It is to these two families that the city owes its most important monuments.
The biggest attraction of Birja is the castle. It owes its present shape to a baroque reconstruction, but it stands on the site of a building that remembers the medieval times. Currently, there is a museum within its walls. The castle is surrounded by a park, which also includes Lake Sirvena. On its other side, there is the 19th-century Tyszkiewicz manor. It can be reached by a bridge over Lake Sirvena.
Some pre-war buildings have survived in the center of Birż. The most beautiful object that can be visited here is the church of St. John the Baptist, built in the Empire style at the request of the Tyszkiewicz family.
