Mežotne Palace | Official Latvian Tourism Portal (original) (raw)

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Over a thousand years ago Mežotne was an ancient Semigallian stronghold. The history of the Mežotne manor dates back to the era of Duke Jacob in the 17th century.

Later, in 1795, the Russian Empress Catherine II gave the Mežotne estate to the governess of her grandchildren Charlotte von Lieven who was made Countess in 1799. In 1797, Czar Paul I granted Mežotne to Lievens as a patrimonial estate. Charlotte von Lieven commissioned the building works of the present day Mežotne Palace in 1797 on a design by Italian architect Giaccomo Quarenghi. The works were supervised by a Saxonian architect Johan Georg Adam Berlitz.
The construction was completed in 1802. During the agrarian reform of 1920, Count Anatol Lieven lost the estate, and thus from 1921 to 1944 the house accommodated an agricultural school. The palace buildings were partially destroyed during World War Two. The palace was saved from devastation by restoration works initiated under the care of the Mežotne Plant Breeding and Testing Station. The renovation was completed in 2001.
Mežotne boasts an English style landscape park known for its natural beauty. The park has three parts – a parade yard, a summer park and a winter park; the latter two areas are separated by a natural ravine. One of the paths leads along the bank and offers lovely views across the river. The other path crosses the east part of the park where a small hillock creates an optical illusion enhancing the feeling of space.
The design of the park is said to have cost twice as much as that of the palace. From 1940 to 1969, the park gradually grew over. Due to the efforts of agronomist E.Fridrihsons, the then director of the plant breeding station V.Tūls and a number of other people of Mežotne community, the restoration of the park started in 1969.

Coordinates: 56.440964, 24.060904

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Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Last updated: 30.01.2012