Rundāle Palace
| Rundale Palace | |
|---|---|
Bartolomeo Rastrelli |
Dukes of Courland in what is now Latvia, the other being Jelgava Palace. The palace was built in two periods, from 1736 until 1740 and from 1764 until 1768. It is situated at Pilsrundāle, in Rundāle Parish, Bauska Municipality in the Semigallia region, 12 km west of Bauska
.
History
In 1735, Duke of Courland
Bartolomeo Rastrelli started in 1736. Construction proceeded slowly because part of the materials and resources were transferred to the construction of Jelgava Palace, a project which was more important for the duke. Following Biron's fall from grace in 1740, the palace stood unfinished and empty until 1762, when Biron returned from his exile. Under the supervision of Rastrelli, its construction was finished in 1768. Johann Michael Graff
produced lavish stucco decorations for the palace during this time. Ernst Johann von Biron loved the palace and moved there almost immediately in 1768. He often visited the palace and spent summers there until his death in 1772.
After the
Prince Platon Zubov. He spent his declining years there after the death of Valerian Zubov in 1804. His young widow, Thekla Walentinowicz, a local landowner's daughter, married Count Shuvalov, and the palace passed into the control of the Shuvalov family, with whom it remained until the German occupation in World War I when the German army established a hospital and a commandant's office there. During the French invasion of Russia
in 1812, the palace was used as a hospital for Napoleon's army. Several soldiers who died in this hospital were buried in the park of the palace. A monument has since been built there. At the end of the 19th century, the palace and park were restored and reconstructed.
The palace suffered serious damage in 1919 during the
Bermontians partially burned the palace. In 1920, after Latvian agrarian reforms
, the palace became the property of the Ministry of Agriculture. Part of the premises was occupied by the local school and part was reconstructed as flats for Latvian military veterans. Though still used as a school, Rundāle Palace was included in the list of state-protected monuments in 1924. In 1933, Rundāle Palace was taken over by the Ministry of Education and was officially reconstructed for use as a school.
The palace was dealt a serious blow after World War II, when a grain storehouse was set up in the premises in addition to the school. Later, the duke's dining room was transformed into the school's gymnasium. A school was located in the palace until 1978.
In 1963, Rundāle Palace became a branch of the
Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund of the EU. In the spring of 2015, it was announced that restoration work in the Rundāle Palace was complete. Total restoration costs from 1972 until 2014 were estimated to be 8,420,495 euros.[2]
The palace is one of the major tourist destinations in Latvia. It is also used for the accommodation of notable guests, such as the leaders of foreign nations. The palace and the surrounding gardens are now a museum.
Gallery
-
Throne room -
Duke's sleeping chambers -
Aerial view of the gardens -
North-eastern wing of the Rundāle palace -
Rundāle palace stables -
Rundāle palace staircase -
Rundāle palace white hall -
Rundāle palace room with pottery -
Duke's toilet -
The Room with rulers, which includes portraits of a young and others -
Rundāle palace dining room -
The Billiard hall -
Rundāle palace public restroom
See also
References
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rundāle Palace.
- The Rundāle Palace Museum website.
- Rundāle Palace presented by Castles on the Web photoarchive
- Rundāle Palace Stock Photography
- The local tourist office in Bauska
- Virtual tour of the Rundale palace at Virtual Latvia project
- Rundāle Parish on Rundale.lv
- The Association of Castles and Museums around the Baltic Sea
56°24′50″N 24°01′29″E / 56.4138°N 24.0248°E
 | Buildings |
|  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Related |
| ||
.svg)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
