The Stone of Love in the Kretinga Manor Park

The Kretinga Manor Summer Garden became a representative location within the territory of Count Juozapas Tiškevičius. The guests of the manor and tourists from Palanga and Prussia used to take leisurely walks around the park.

It is not known when the large stone-benches were placed on either side of the first pond. An unnamed stone-bench lies in the valley at the south-western bank of the pond.

The Stone of Love lies on the right bank of the pond, in the north-east. In essence, it is a large rock with a chiselled double bench. There is no data that would indicate when the stone was carved or even placed here.

Legends say that Russian Empress Ekaterina II and her love interest, Platonas Zubovas, the owner of the Kretinga Manor of the time, used to frequent the stone. However, Zubovas became the owner of the manor in 1806, ten years after the death of Empress Ekaterina.

Vladislovas Suchanekas, the servant of the manor, once mentioned that the stone used to serve as the base of the fountain, upon which stood the bronze statue of a woman. When the fountain was demolished, the stone was taken to the pond and transformed into a double bench.

The citizens of Kretinga believe that if two people like each other, they have to confess their love at the Stone of Love. Thus, the bond between the two will be strong and long-lasting. A large double trunk linden tree, serving as the symbol of fruitfulness and of motherhood, adds to the atmosphere with its presence near the stone.

The women and young ladies of the city used to believe that if a man or young lad is sat down in the same place as where the woman or lady sat previously, they will fall in love with them. This is believed to be the reason why the stone-bench is nowadays referred to as the Stone of Love.

 Source: Kretingos enciklopedija