From the Hill of Crosses in Lithuania I proceed on with my journey to Latvia. First stop in Latvia is the 18th century Rundale Palace. The journey took about an hour. Rundale Palace is a summer residence for the Dukes of Courland and it's one of the two must visit place in Latvia.
Rundale Palace and Parks are open everyday from 10am till 5pm and during summer till 6pm.
The palace site plan.
A 5 minutes walk from the carpark to the palace building.
With the foundation of Rundale Palace laid on 24 May 1736, the idea of European baroque residence arrived in Latvia. The summer palace was built for Count Ernst Johann Biron who exceeded to the throne of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia in 1737.
After the Duchy of Courland was absorbed by the Russian Empire in 1795, Rundale was used by various Russian nobles until the German occupation in World War 1 whereby the German used the palace as a hospital and a commandant’s office.
Two lions wearing a crown sits atop the central gate to Rundale Palace.
After the war, the palace was used as a school.
In 1963, Rundale Palace became a branch of the local history museum and soon after that restoration of the palace began.
Corridor of Rundale Palace at the ground floor.
Headed upstairs to explore the palace.
The Duke’s lavish throne room also known as the Great Gallery.
Famous Italian painters and Berlin sculptor created the ornate rococo of great artistic value that ranks the Rundale Palace among the most outstanding European Palace.
The corridor that connects the Great Gallery and White Hall.
The lavish stucco decorations of the White Hall. A ballroom that was originally built to be a chapel. Above the cornice there are bas-reliefs of four seasons and and ceiling is made as the sun with a stork’s nest on it.
The porcelain room at the White Hall with Chinese and Japanese porcelain vases on display.
The Blue Room. The huge porcelain structure at the right side is actually a heater.
Zubov’s Room is where the portrait of Catherine the Great is located.
The Rose Room. The ceiling painting shows Flora, the goddess of spring and flowers with her attendants. The walls are decorated with sculptured rosses.
Room with Dutch paintings.
An interesting room. This is the 18th century bathroom of the palace complete with long bath and WC.
All items being displayed at Rundale Palace are clearly described in each and every room.
The room with Ruler’s Potrait.
Mantel clock from Switzerland and mirror from Russia all from the 18th century at the second study room of the Duke.
The Duke’s State Chamber. The ceiling was painted by Francesco Martini and Carlo in 1765-1767 and the theme of the painting is coined from Roman mythology.
The above picture shows the original painting of the ceiling and how it was restored to its former beautiful self.
The bed at the chamber. The original tiled stoves were made in 1740.
The Reception Room is adorned with a ceiling painting ‘Venus and Adonis’.
The black lacquer commode by French Court cabinet maker Jean-Henri Riesener is one of the most valuable piece of furniture in Rundale Palace.
The Dining Hall.
Centre piece of the dining table.
The 1770’s Billiard Room.
Rundale Palace is actually not very big and can be explored by yourself. Just don’t miss the portrait of Catherine the Great with other rulers at Zubov’s Room, chest of drawers at the Reception Room and of course the ceiling paintings of the rooms which are beautiful.
You also have to purchase a camera ticket to be allowed to take pictures inside Rundale Palace. Buy the ticket as it’s inexpensive!
The ground floor of the palace exhibits permanent exhibition from the Ghotic style to Art Nouveau, European and Latvian Decorative Arts from the 15 to 20th Century.
Visiting the garden of Rundale Palace.
The marvelous garden of Rundale Palace.
In the garden, there are 2,400 different varieties of roses. In fact, it is the largest rose garden of the Baltic States.
Map of Rundale Palace.
Overall, the Rundale Palace is a nice visit on the way from Lithuania to Riga, the capital city of Latvia. I recommend at least 2-3 hours to explore the palace and its garden.
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