Mežotne Palace ( lv, Mežotnes pils, german: Schloss Mesothen) is a manor house located in

Mežotne Mežotne (german: Mesothen) is a town in Latvia 10 km west of Bauska and 40 km south of the capital of Latvia, Riga. It lies in the historical region of Zemgale on the left bank of the Lielupe river near the Lithuanian border. Mežo ...

municipality in Bauska district, in the

Semigallia Semigallia, also spelt Semigalia, ( lv, Zemgale; german: Semgallen; lt, Žiemgala; pl, Semigalia; liv, Zemgāl) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands located in the south of the Daugava river and the north of the Saule region of Samogitia. ...

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 ...

. The palace is one of the most outstanding examples of

Neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

in Latvia.

History

In 1795, Empress

Catherine II of Russia , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anhal ...

granted

Charlotte von Lieven Charlotte Margarete Fürstin von Lieven (Née Baroness von Gaugreben; 1748–1828), was a Russian princess of German origin and an Imperial governess. Early life She was born as daughter of Carl Caspar, Baron von Gaugreben (1716-1767) and Bar ...

(1742–1828), the tutor of her grandchildren, a lifetime use of the property at Mežotne. In 1797, Emperor

Paul I of Russia Paul I (russian: Па́вел I Петро́вич ; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination. Officially, he was the only son of Peter III of Russia, Peter III and Catherine the Great, although Catherine hinted that he w ...

turned it into the hereditary estate of the

Lieven The House of Lieven ( lv, Līveni; russian: Ливен) is one of the oldest aristocratic families of Baltic Germans. History The family claims descent from Caupo of Turaida (Latvian, ''Kaupo''), the Livonian ''quasi rex'' who converted to Ch ...

family. In 1799, he raised her to the title of countess. In 1826 she was raised by

Nicholas I of Russia Nicholas I , group=pron ( – ) was List of Russian rulers, Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Congress Poland and Grand Duke of Finland. He was the third son of Paul I of Russia, Paul I and younger brother of his predecessor, Alexander I ...

to a princess. During the last years of the

Duchy of Courland 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 ...

's history, the manor was rented by Johann Friedrich von Medem. His daughter Anna Charlotte Dorothea married Duke Peter of Courland. The construction of the manor house was started in 1797 under the guidance of the architect Johann Georg Adam Berlitz. He used the neo-classical design by the Italian architect

Giacomo Quarenghi Giacomo Quarenghi (; rus, Джа́комо Кваре́нги, Džákomo Kvaréngi, ˈdʐakəmə kvɐˈrʲenʲɡʲɪ; 20 or 21 September 1744) was an Italian architect who was the foremost and most prolific practitioner of neoclassical architectu ...

and added side avant-corps to the building. The construction work was completed in 1802. An English style landscape park and complex of subsidiary buildings were added to the ensemble. A previous manor house already existed next to it and was renovated to become the caretaker's house and administrative centre.Mezotne manor manager's house (the old manor house)
/ref> Other buildings include the dairy, stables, distillery, and others, which was able to make the estate largely self-sufficient.
/ref> Charlotte von Lieven lived permanently in St. Petersburg, together with the Czar's family. Only once did she have an opportunity to visit her estate at Mežotne. In 1818 she accompanied Empress Maria Feodorovna on her journey to Germany and on 2 September arrived in Mežotne. They spent one day there and left early in the morning. After the death of Charlotte von Lieven in 1828, the manor was inherited by her son Johann who had returned to Mežotne in 1817 after his military service in the Russian army. His son Paul, the master of ceremonies at the Russian court and land marshal of the Vidzeme Knighthood, expanded his estate by obtaining the

Bauska Manor Bauska Castle (; german: Schloss Bauske) is a complex consisting of the ruins of an earlier castle and a later palace on the outskirts of the Latvian city of Bauska. While originally a hill fort, the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Knights buil ...

with its castle ruins as well as Derpele and

Krimulda Manor The Krimulda Castle (german: Burg Kremon) is located just outside Sigulda, Sigulda Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia and is a tourist attraction. The castle dates from the 14th century and was destroyed in a war in 1601. Prince Liven ...

s in Vidzeme. In 1881 Mežotne was inherited by Paul Lieven's son

Anatol Anatol is a masculine given name, derived from the Greek name Ἀνατόλιος ''Anatolius'', meaning "sunrise". The Russian version of the name is Anatoly (also transliterated as Anatoliy and Anatoli). The French version is Anatole. A rarer v ...

. He started his career in St. Petersburg, but when he attained the rank of lieutenant of the

Guards Cavalry Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

, he left the army and settled in Mežotne. The house suffered severe damage in 1919, when it was looted by the warlord

Pavel Bermondt-Avalov Pavel Rafailovich Bermondt-Avalov (russian: Павел Рафаилович Бермондт-Авалов) or Pavel Avalishvili ( – 27 December 1973) was an Ussuri Cossack and warlord. He is best known as the commander of the West Russian Vol ...

's troops. In 1920, Prince Anatol Lieven was dispossessed of the estate as a result of the Latvian government's agrarian reform.4.100 sakoptakie kulturas pieminekli Latvija, Riga, Valsts kulturas piemineklu aizsardzibas inspekcija, 2005. It was used from 1921 until 1944 as the local agricultural school. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the manor was partially destroyed by artillery shells fired by the

Soviet army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

in 1944. In 1946, the manor was taken over by the Latvian Agricultural Experiment Station. Restoration work started at the end of 1958. In 1996, the house was transferred to the control of the State Real Estate Agency, which carried out extensive reconstruction and restoration work in 2001, and a hotel opened. The house and grounds are used today also for conferences and wedding receptions and other events.

Architecture

The facade to the front has a portico with four columns, the part to the park has a semi-rotunda that both correspond to the design by Giacomo Quarenghi. The

bel étage The ''piano nobile'' (Italian for "noble floor" or "noble level", also sometimes referred to by the corresponding French term, ''bel étage'') is the principal floor of a palazzo. This floor contains the main reception and bedrooms of the hou ...

is located on the first floor, which can be accessed by a staircase that was built in the second half of the 19th century. The domed main hall stretches over two storeys, which was also designed by Giacomo Quarenghi. The main hall is in the centre of the house, on either sides are various salons and the dining room. The hall is built in the neoclassical style and the space was influenced by the Pantheon in Rome. The third floor was used as living quarters and guest rooms. The interior used to be filled with paintings, sculptures, porcelain and furniture.

Garden

The park stretches behind the house and is styled in the

English landscape garden The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (french: Jardin à l'anglaise, it, Giardino all'inglese, german: Englischer Landschaftsgarten, pt, Jardim inglês, es, Jardín inglés), is a sty ...

. It goes down to the bank of the

Lielupe River The Lielupe ( in Latvian literally: ''Large River'', lt, Lielupė, german: Kurländische Aa) is a river in central Latvia. Its length is (the length would reach if the Mēmele River were counted as part of the Lielupe). The surface area of ...

. Sheep are used to graze the grass and keep it trim.

References

Sources

External links