Alsunga Castle ( lv, Alsungas pils; german: Schloss Alschwangen) is a castle in
Alsunga
Alsunga (also Alšvanga, german: Alschwangen) is a village in Alsunga Parish, Kuldīga Municipality in the Courland region of Latvia. Alsunga is the center of the Suiti, a small Catholic community in the Lutheran western part of Latvia. The ...
village, in
Alsunga Parish
Alsunga Parish ( lv, Alsungas pagasts) is an administrative territorial entity of Kuldīga Municipality in the Courland region of Latvia. Prior to 2009, it was part of the now defunct Kuldīga District and from 2009 to 2021 of the former Alsunga ...
,
Kuldīga Municipality
Kuldīga Municipality ( lv, Kuldīgas novads) is a municipality in Courland, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by merging Ēdole parish, Gudenieki parish, Īvande parish, Kabile parish, Kurmāle parish, Laidi parish, Padure parish, ...
in the
Courland
Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. ...
region of
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
. It was built for the
Livonian Order
The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order,
formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation.
History
The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after the ...
during the first half of the 14th century.
History
Alsunga Castle was built near the Curonian castle mound, which was later called
Alsungas Dižgabalkalns, in written sources it was mentioned as '' Aliswangis''.
The settlement was mentioned in the written sources for the first time in 1231 in a contract between the elders of a Curonian tribe and the papal envoy
Baldwin of Alna
Baldwin of Alna (german: Baldwin von Alna or Alva; french: Baudoin d’Aulne died in 1243) was Pope Gregory IX envoy and later Papal legate in Baltic region.
He participated in both Northern Crusades and Barons' Crusade, crusades to the East.
...
. During the time of the king Alsunga was part of his
Bandava
Bandava (in Latvian and Lithuanian; la, Bandowe) - and old Curonian land which existed in the territory of the Latvia during the late Iron Age until it was conquered and divided in 1253 by Bishopric of Courland and Livonian Order.
Histor ...
country.
In 1341, the
Livonian Order
The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order,
formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation.
History
The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after the ...
Kuldiga Commandry in Alsunga was fortified, and in 1372 the Order built a
quadrangular stone castle, which was later supplemented with round towers. The Order Cemetery, which was subordinated to the Kuldīga Commandry, was established there.
In the
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia
The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia ( la, Ducatus Curlandiæ et Semigalliæ; german: Herzogtum Kurland und Semgallen; lv, Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste; lt, Kuršo ir Žiemgalos kunigaikštystė; pl, Księstwo Kurlandii i Semigalii) was ...
from 1573 to 1728, Alsunga Castle Manor belonged to Marshal Schwerin of the Duchy of Courland in the
Alsunga Parish
Alsunga Parish ( lv, Alsungas pagasts) is an administrative territorial entity of Kuldīga Municipality in the Courland region of Latvia. Prior to 2009, it was part of the now defunct Kuldīga District and from 2009 to 2021 of the former Alsunga ...
.
In 1623, then landlord Johan Ulrich von Schwerin married
in the Catholic Church tradition Miss Barbara Konarska
Barbara von Schwerin (Konarska h. Ossoria)
/ref> of Polish-Lithuanian descent and Catholic. In 1632, he brought the Jesuits to Alsunga. As a result of the Jesuit missionary work, part of the people turned to the Catholic faith, nowadays their descendants live in Latvia Suiti
Alsunga (also Alšvanga, german: Alschwangen) is a village in Alsunga Parish, Kuldīga Municipality in the Courland region of Latvia. Alsunga is the center of the Suiti, a small Catholic community in the Lutheran western part of Latvia. There a ...
folklore.
In 1738, Alsunga came into the possession of the dukes of Duchy of Courland and Semgallen. Since then, the complex was the administrative center of the estate Alsunga.
In 1741 the castle was rebuilt into a castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
in the baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
style.
After the castle had been nationalized in 1920, a dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...
was established there in 1925. In 1939 the second floor was extended and the building rebuilt for the local school.
See also
*List of castles in Latvia
This is the List of castles in Latvia, which includes fortified residences of Western European conquerors built in the area of present-day Latvia before the 17th century. There are about 140 medieval castles in the area, therefore this list is not ...
References
External links
*
Alsunga Castle
Castles in Latvia
Kuldīga Municipality
Castles of the Livonian Order
Castles of the Teutonic Knights
Aizpute County
Courland
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