Varakļāni Palace ( lv, Varakļānu muižas pils) is a palace in

Varakļāni Varakļāni (; german: Warkland, yi, וואַרקלאַן, russian: Варакляны) is a town in the Latgale Historical Latvian Lands, historical region of Latvia. The population in 2020 was 1,740. History The town of Varakļāni was founde ...

, Varakļāni Municipality in the historical region of Latgale, in Latvia.

History

After the end of the

Livonian War The Livonian War (1558–1583) was the Russian invasion of Old Livonia, and the prolonged series of military conflicts that followed, in which Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia (Muscovy) unsuccessfully fought for control of the region (pr ...

in 1583, family acquired the Vark castle district, it was called "Vark land" (german: Warkland , Warkelen). The palace was designed by the Italian

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Vincenzo Macotti at the request of the estate owner, the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...

diplomat Count Michał Jan Borch. Construction started in 1783 and completed in 1789. After the death of Count Borch in 1810, his wife, Eleonor Christine (1766-1844), and later their son, Karol Borch (1798-1861), whose daughter Maria married (1834–1876), operated the palace. After his death, the manor was inherited by their daughter, Teresa Sanguszko-Kowelska (1864-1954), who married (1856-1893). After Latvian Agrarian Reform in 1920s Varaklani Manor was nationalized and subdivided. From 1921 to 1944 the Varaklani State Gymnasium, later until 1961 the senior classes of Varaklani High School, operated in the castle. At the end of

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 opposing ...

the castle was a

military hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned and operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a ...

. The building housed the

secondary school from 1921 to 1960. In the mid-1980s the castle conservation works began. At the entrance of the castle there is a memorial plaque for the linguist Leonard Latkovsky. Since 1997, the castle has housed the Varaklani Regional Museum, which since 2009 has been the Tourist Information Center.The palace and grounds are currently administered by the town of Varakļāni.

References

External links

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Varakļāni Palace
Palaces in Latvia Varakļāni Municipality Neoclassical palaces in Latvia {{Latvia-castle-stub

History

See also

References

External links