[3][4] Mykolas established the Kęsgaila family in Samogitia, where their power rivalled that of the Grand Duke of Lithuania.

The area of Švėkšna Estate was huge, bordering on Gardamas, Rietavas, Pajūralis and the Duchy of Prussia.

[5][6] Švėkšna changed hands frequently over the next 100 years: between 1644 and 1694 it was owned by Denhofs; 1694-1721 by Grotesai; and 1721-1766 by the Ogiński family.

Jerzy divided the estate in 1820 between his four sons:[4] After studying law in Vilnius, Stefan Broël-Plater traveled to Europe and the Middle East, visiting Greece, Turkey, Palestine and Egypt.

When Stefan returned to Lithuania, he built a school at his own expense in Kretinga, and maintained a student dormitory in Vilnius.

[6] Adam Broël-Plater donated 50,000 rubles for the construction of the church and provided all necessary bricks and tiles that were manufactured at the estate.

Later in life, Adam occupied a high position in the Tsar's Palace in St. Petersburg and hosted high-ranking guests at the estate.

[4] In 1880, Count Adam Alfred Broël-Plater built a graceful, small Empire-style palace next to the old Švėkšna Manor house, and named it after his wife - Genowefa (b.

Between 1912 and 1940 Adam and Genowefa's son, Count Jerzy Floryan Plater [lt] (1875-1943), managed the estate.

In 1812, Jerzy married his second cousin, Janina Plater [lt] (1890-1940), who would inherit Vilkėnas Manor when her father died in 1922.

[10] In 1918, during the era of Lithuanian Independence, Jerzy returned from Russia to Švėkšna and lived there until the beginning of Sovietization.

In 1935, after the death of his mother Genowefa, Jerzy inherited works of art that had been brought to her apartment in Paris, which were then transferred to Švėkšna.

The Bolsheviks burned all of the Švėkšna Manor archives and library books and destroyed many valuable works of art.

[9] After World War II, 'Villa Genowefa' was equipped with a cinema,[6] but the other unattended buildings were left to deteriorate.

Her remains were to be brought to Lithuania and placed alongside her husband, who was buried 17 years previously, in the crypt of the Šventoji Catholic Church.