Latvia: Rundales castle - a unique treasury // The family album. Bauska

June 24, 2018

Latvia: Rundales castle - a unique treasury // The family album. Bauska - Vilce.

Rundales castle - a unique treasury of Baroque and Rococo art in Latvia

Rundāle Palace is one of the two major baroque palaces built for the Dukes of Courland in what is now Latvia, the other being Jelgava Palace. The palace was built in two periods, from 1736 until 1740 and from 1764 until 1768. It is situated at Pilsrundāle, 12 km west of Bauska. Wikipedia

That's the important and smart info, the rest you can find more on google and the links I hidden under the title. To me this place is special only because of that it was my family's annual summer roadtrip stop. A part of my family is from Zemgale region, near by to Rundales castle area. Every year it was our road trip day to visit the castle and then continue the way to my grandpa's village he was born and grow up. The house in which he spent the first years of his life still existed, that was our destination. It was old. around 2007 the house was more than 100 years old, and with the tiny bit of knowledge of natural building, I can see that house was made from sand and rocks, definitely, and surprised it has stood for so long time there!

I don't know what has happened to it now. As every time we went back, unfortunatly the house suffered from bad local gangsters who demolished the house. It was in a beautiful tree circle in the middle of field. A very typical Zemgale's Latvian farmers countryside's house. Now I have not been there for a very long time... Maybe since my grandpa has passed away. It's kind of hard to go back to these places, even being at the Rundale castle, I felt like to be alone and walked away from mum and brother. Too much memories of how important it was for grandpa to show the castle and this area, and his first home and village, and all the other places he had been to and remembered to tell a story. Blame myself for being a teenager, that I took for granted his stories and excitement to introduce me to it all. Oh, well, anyway...

This is my memory, my experience. The castle is amazing, it's a real gem which is hidding in Latvia, not in France! At the castle people celebrate their weddings and other parties. Every summer latvians drive to the castle in such crowds like mushrooms after a rain in forest. So many people to see the roses, the garden!

Heritage.

My relatives area was from Bauska to Vilce, includes Eleja, Sesava, Blankenfelde. My grandpa told me a story about his uncle (mum's brother) that starting the war he dig in the ground family's treasure and a sword, he had to run away from home. Knowing Zemgale's Latvian history, I can proudly say I come from a old and strong family tree.

Photos.

The photos I have added are from the visit now, and 2011. The last time I and brother went together with grandpa. Then you can find 2 photos from the 1990s, sadly, it seems I have not scanned in the rest of the photos from the "spring cleaning day", only that one. Looking at that picture through my eyes I remember the feeling of that day, I was happy that my whole family was together.