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Utena Tourism Information Center

Jotaučiai Manor

Architecture

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On the left hand side of the highway Utena - Zarasai, about 7 km from Utena, through dense tree stands, one can see the Jotaučių red brick manor house of the XIX c. with barns made of brick and stone, cottar houses and the old park. Jotaučiai manor is a historical heritage site that needs to be nurtured and maintained.
In the XVII-XIX centuries, the manor was owned by the Kozielos – Poklevskiai, together with Degsnys, Kastulyne. The owner of the manor Povilas Koziela had three sons- Steponas, Tomas and Adomas- who ruled the three estates of Utena district. Degsnys estate was owned by Steponas, Jotaučių manor by Adomas and Tomas was the owner of the Kastulyne estate. They had 778 “dešimtines” of cultivated land (1 ”dešimtinė” equals 1.0925 ha), 81- of uncultivated land, 380- of forests (the whole area of land was 1244 “dešimtines”). Jotaučiai manor at the time belonged to the Utena “valsčius” (now Utena parish). Jotaučiai estate owned 550 ha of land. In the year 1853, the farmstead had 9 residents, 3 of which were hired workers. Mauricijus Vivulskis had the duties of a housekeeper, Mataušas Sokieškis, together with other cottars and servants, had these duties in 1869. In 1872, the Kozielos seized the farmstead of Novynos near the village of Toleikiai. The farmers drove a new host out, but the new governor called gendarmes. Steponas Koziela still lived there for some time, and then he went to Poland. The owner of the Jotaučiai manor - Adomas - is buried in the Sudeikiai cemetery, and the owner of the Kastulynė manor - Tomas - in Taukeliai chapel. In the summer of 1882, peasants in the Degsniai estate started a turmoil- they refused to do the forced labor; waving shovels, they tore epaulettes of a visiting “prístav”. The peasants resisted for easements – the right to pastures. The Tsarist army was summoned and peasants were punished. The owners of the estates Degsnė and Jotaučiai gave 2 “valakai” to the church in Sudeikiai (“valakas” was a land unit equal about 21 ha at the time of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy). The Kozielos family was buried in the churchyard (there are surviving monuments). Before Sudeikiai church was built, they prayed at Taukeliai stone chapel with an altar. It is said that the Poklevskiai lived here since the times of Ivan the Terrible, only later did they convert to Catholicism. Tomas Koziela was intelligent, unmarried; he had many old books in the estate of Kastulynė. Degsnė manor also had bookshelves full of books. There were paintings, depicting Lithuanian dukes. Liudvise (Bagdonaite) had a house in Utena, near the Vieša River, which was later a progymnasium. In 1897, the manor belonged to Tamošius Koziela (Kozello), while the governor was A. Šeduikis. There lived 11 families in the estate, nearly 70 people in total. At the time Jotaučiai estate had at least 4 hired workers, day-laborers (they were paid 10 “kapeikos”- name of a hundredth of a ruble- plus a meal). In written sources, there is no name of “Poklevskiai” added to Kozielos surname. Kozielos surname appeared later.
During the World War I, on retreating to Russia, the landowner ordered the laborers to destroy the crop and sell off the livestock. In 1914, Germans took control of the estate and turned it into military barracks, the stables served as horse hospital. Germans lived there; they hired laborers to work for them. After the war, in 1919, the revolutionary minded Bolsheviks took control of the Jotaučiai estate and they established their committee here. In 1920, Koziela returned to the manor. During the land reform, the estate was distributed and only 80 ha of the land was left to the manor, the remaining land was given to the volunteers - Aismantas, Jovaiša, Labeikis. In 1940, the property owner was given 9 hectares, he settled in the cottar house while the land was distributed to five new settlers. In 1941, when Germans arrived, the land was returned to the former property owner. After the Second World War, in 1947, the landowner Koziela went to live to Poland.
Current Jotaučiai Manor Park - is a part of the former old Jotaučiai Manor Park. The total area of ​​it is 4.1 hectares, 0.5 hectares of which is overgrown with trees. Twelve tree and shrub species have been registered, five of which are introduced. There are some maples, poplar, lime-trees and others.
Red brick buildings of the manor, the stables and the cottar house have survived. Until 2001, the premises were used as Jotaučiai cultural center, administered by Artūras Bliuvas; a store was operating for some time there. Three apartments in the Jotaučiai estate are currently privatized, and the remaining three rooms belong to Utena district municipality.

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