District Varkey is located seven kilometers from the city centre of Vilnius and has already become a part of it. Until the 14th century the area belonged to the Lithuanian Grand Dukes. It has since preserved its current name. It is connected with ancient local legend. They say that once the Lithuanian Prince Gedimin, while hunting in the forest, he heard a child crying. Looking closer, he saw in the nest of the stork a crying baby, and, naturally, took him in. Child called Lindenau, which translated Lithuanian means the nest. But the place where the Prince found the child was called Varkey from the Lithuanian word "varchi", that is to cry.

In the Vilnius regional Park Varkey is an architectural and historical monument of the 17th century, Verkiai Palace. The Palace has a very interesting history. In 1387, the Catholic Bishop received a gift from the Polish king Wladyslaw II Jagiello the village Varkey. Soon there was built a wooden Palace, around which was a Park. Settled in the Palace the summer residence of the Bishop.

In 1658, during the battle, the Polish army led by Hetman V. Gorsevski, with the Russian army under the leadership of Yuri Dolgoruky, the Palace was badly damaged, and gradually began to crumble. In 1700 on the site of a former wooden Palace was built a stone Palace, designed in the Baroque style. A few years later, in 1705, the Palace took Peter I.

In 1779, the Palace became the private property of the Vilnius Bishop Ignatius can be found here. 1780 Bishop decided to carry out capital reconstruction of the Palace. Original reconstruction dealt with the architect M. Knackfuss.

A year later, the construction was entrusted to the architect L. Stuoka-Gurevicius. He changed radically the original plan, and began to build a Palace in the classical style. Work continued until 1792. But they weren't fully completed. The country began political instability. Soon the Bishop gave Verkiai Palace Helena Masal'skoj, his niece. She, in turn, sold it to the Marshal S. Yasenskoe. Due to financial failure, the Marshal is also not finished building. In 1812, the presence in the territory of the Napoleonic wars brought its negative contribution to the complex fate of Verkiai Palace. In 1840, the Palace was acquired by the Russian General-field Marshal P. Wittgenstein, who managed to complete the construction.

The Palace complex had a horseshoe appearance. Around oval pool, decorated with a fountain, was built three buildings. The Central structure of the Palace was a two-storied, decorated with a portico with six ionic columns and pilasters of the same order. On the pediment of the main portico there were reliefs depicting rural work. The Windows of the front facade were decorated with pediments and architraves. Leading to the main entrance road was winding and gracefully skirted the fountain Playground. The ensemble looked especially beautiful from a distance: the lush vegetation of the Park, situated on a hill, gave the buildings the appearance of safety and comfort.

The Palace in Varkey was then, and remains today, a monumental building: the length of the Central building is 85 meters and width 10 meters. In the heart of the main building there is a spacious entrance hall with views of the garden. This room was intended for theatrical performances. It was assumed that the representations will be attended by guests from different places, so the two sides of the hall were located living rooms. The hall was decorated with niches for sculptures that are located on all four sides, symmetrically. Above the roof of the Palace, in the area of the Central hall was installed copper, ellipsoidal dome. On the surface of the ceiling of the main lobby was a 19th century painting brush G. Becker "Cupid and Psyche", which is now fully restored.

After the Second world war the Soviet authorities nationalized Verkiai Palace, and gave it to the Academy of Sciences of the Lithuanian SSR. Today the building Verkiai Palace is the Lithuanian Institute of botany Academy of Sciences.