Mežotne Palace (, ) is a manor house located in the Mežotne Parish of Bauska Municipality, in the

Semigallia Semigallia is one of the Historical Latvian Lands located to the south of the Daugava and to the north of the Saule region of Samogitia. The territory is split between Latvia and Lithuania, previously inhabited by the Semigallian Baltic tri ...

region of

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

. The palace is one of the most outstanding examples of

Neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture, sometimes referred to as Classical Revival architecture, is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassicism, Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy, France and Germany. It became one of t ...

in Latvia.

History

In 1795, Empress

Catherine II of Russia Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

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

Paul I of Russia Paul I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination in 1801. Paul remained overshadowed by his mother, Catherine the Great, for most of his life. He adopted the Pauline Laws, laws of succession to the Russian throne—rules ...

turned it into the hereditary estate of the Lieven 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 (Russian language, Russian: Николай I Павлович; – ) was Emperor of Russia, List of rulers of Partitioned Poland#Kings of the Kingdom of Poland, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 18 ...

to a princess. During the last years of the Duchy of Courland'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 (; , ; 20 or 21 September 1744) was an Italian architect who was the foremost and most prolific practitioner of neoclassical architecture in Imperial Russia, particularly in Saint Petersburg. He brought into vogue an original mo ...

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 with its castle ruins as well as Derpele and Krimulda Manors in Vidzeme. In 1881 Mežotne was inherited by Paul Lieven's son Anatol. He started his career in St. Petersburg, but when he attained the rank of lieutenant of the Guards Cavalry, 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'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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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

Soviet army The Soviet Ground Forces () was the land warfare service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces from 1946 to 1992. It was preceded by the Red Army. After the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, the Ground Forces remained under th ...

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 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 (, , , , ), is a style of "landscape" garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal ...

. It goes down to the bank of the Lielupe River. Sheep are used to graze the grass and keep it trim.

References

Sources

External links