Castle history
History from the 14th century
History from the 14th century
Jaunpils Castle is one of the few medieval castles that has perfectly preserved its original appearance.
1301 – The construction of Jaunpils Castle begins, according to JG Arnts's dating. It is an irregularly planned fortified castle of the Order with an inner courtyard surrounded by water. A drawbridge was the only link connecting the castle to the surrounding area.
1411 – Jaunpils Castle is first mentioned in the lists of castles of the Order. With the development of firearms, the castle was fortified by adding a large, round defensive tower with loopholes in the southern corner, which has survived to this day.
From 1545 – the penultimate commander of Dobele, Eberhard (Evert) von Schieren, lived in the castle. The first reconstruction of the castle for residential purposes is associated with his name.
1576 – Matthias von der Recke took over Jaunpils Castle and the Jaunpils area, which was then 13 square miles in size, as a free estate independent of the duke.
1592 – construction of Jaunpils Church began.
1605 – Matthias von der Recke came into close combat with the Swedish king Charles IX during the Battle of Salaspils. In Recke's hands remained an expensive and luxurious silver sword, the king's hat. After this battle, about 300 Swedish prisoners of war were brought to Jaunpils, who worked on the construction of a stone wall, which has retained the builders' name to this day – the Swedish Wall.
1646 – Matthias Dietrich von der Recke rebuilt the castle.
1648 – Matthias Dietrich von der Recke and Susanna von Denhof donated a luxurious altar and pulpit to the Jaunpils Church on their wedding day.
1771 – Georg Peter Magnus von der Recke married Elisabeth Charlotte Constance von Mēdem, who later became a well-known poet, publicist, and public figure. Today, the tower hall of Jaunpils Castle is adorned with a portrait of Elisabeth painted by the artist M. Brašmane.
1803 – Jaunpils watermill was built.
1871 – Song Day was held in the Jaunpils Manor Park. Choirs from Jaunpils, Irlava, Lestene, and Biksti participated. Jānis Bētiņš was invited as the chief conductor.
Jaunpils was very busy at this time. A large complex of farm buildings had already been built in the center of Jaunpils.
On the night of December 23-24, 1905 , rebels set fire to Jaunpils Castle. In one night, not only the castle itself and its interior were destroyed, but also the von der Reck family archive, book and painting collection.
1907 – Reconstruction began in the palace according to the design of the German architect VLN Boxlaf.
November 30, 1919 – Jaunpils Castle and the territory of the manor center were taken over by the new Latvian state and the State Jaunpils Manor Model Farm was established.
1920-1944 – the castle housed two classes of the Jaunpils six-grade elementary school.
1927-1944 – Jaunpils Castle housed the Jaunpils Livestock School, later the office of the Jaunpils Livestock Experimental Station, apartments, a shop, and a cultural center.
1960s-70s – extensive reconstruction work took place in the palace according to the project of architect V. Druģis, which continued in the early 70s according to the project of architect E. Kalniņš.
1991 – Jaunpils Museum was founded.
1991 – the castle becomes the property of the Jaunpils municipality.
Since 2000 , Jaunpils has been involved in events organized by the Latvian Castles and Manors Association. In the campaign “Let's Tour the Castles and Manors of Latvia”, Jaunpils Castle was included among the ten most beautiful castles in Latvia.
2004 – A stamp with an image of Jaunpils Castle was issued in the stamp series “Castles of Latvia”. Artist Ludis Danilāns. An envelope dedicated to Jaunpils Castle was issued at the same time as the stamp.
In 2005 , the castle was included in the list of the 100 best-kept cultural monuments.
