Embute Castle
Encyclopedia
Embūte Castle ruins are located in Embūte
, Latvia
, in the Embūte parish
, Vaiņode municipality
not far from an ancient castle hill erected by Curonians
which was an ancient Curonian settlement and is mentioned in ancient chronicles as a place with strong Curonian resistance to German crusaders
.
. It came in the hands of the Livonian Order
for a short period, but in the end of the thirteenth century it again belonged to the bishop. The castle was many times rented in the following centuries.
In the sixteenth century the castle became a centre of big manors and residence for local German landlords. The castle was destroyed in the Great Northern War
. Some documents from the eighteenth century tells, that only the castle walls are preserved. In the same century a manor was erected on the old castle walls. It was expanded in the nineteenth century by demolishing one of the old gate towers.
The last owner of the castle was the widow of Hans von Hahn. The castle burned down in 1920 and the baroness moved to Germany. Local rumours says that the baroness burned the castle to avoid its nationalization by the new Latvia
n government. During the agrarian reforms in Latvia (1921–1930) all manors and land was nationalized and divided by the Latvian government.
After the Second World War, the local Soviet kolkhoz
used stones from the castle as building materials.
. Today's ruins are surrounded by trees and in quite bad condition. Only fragments of some walls
and towers are visible.
Embute
Embūte is a village in the Embūte parish, Vaiņode municipality of Latvia....
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
, in the Embūte parish
Embūte parish
Embūte parish is an administrative unit of the Vaiņode municipality, Latvia. The parish has a population of 414 and covers an area of 117.6 km2.- See also :* Embūte castle...
, Vaiņode municipality
Vaiņode municipality
Vaiņode municipality is a municipality in Courland, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by merging Embūte parish and Vaiņode parish; the administrative centre being Vaiņode.- References :...
not far from an ancient castle hill erected by Curonians
Curonians
The Curonians or Kurs were a Baltic tribe living on the shores of the Baltic sea in what are now the western parts of Latvia and Lithuania from the 5th to the 16th centuries, when they merged with other Baltic tribes. They gave their name to the region of Courland , and they spoke the Old...
which was an ancient Curonian settlement and is mentioned in ancient chronicles as a place with strong Curonian resistance to German crusaders
Crusaders
The Crusaders are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Christchurch that competes in the Super Rugby competition. They are the most successful team in Super Rugby history with seven titles...
.
History
Embūte Castle was built in the middle of the thirteenth century as residence for the Bishop of CourlandBishopric of Courland
The Bishopric of Courland was the second smallest ecclesiastical state in the Livonian Confederation founded in the aftermath of the Livonian Crusade...
. It came in the hands of the Livonian Order
Livonian Order
The Livonian Order was an autonomous Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order and a member of the Livonian Confederation from 1435–1561. After being defeated by Samogitians in the 1236 Battle of Schaulen , the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword were incorporated into the Teutonic Knights...
for a short period, but in the end of the thirteenth century it again belonged to the bishop. The castle was many times rented in the following centuries.
In the sixteenth century the castle became a centre of big manors and residence for local German landlords. The castle was destroyed in the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
. Some documents from the eighteenth century tells, that only the castle walls are preserved. In the same century a manor was erected on the old castle walls. It was expanded in the nineteenth century by demolishing one of the old gate towers.
The last owner of the castle was the widow of Hans von Hahn. The castle burned down in 1920 and the baroness moved to Germany. Local rumours says that the baroness burned the castle to avoid its nationalization by the new Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n government. During the agrarian reforms in Latvia (1921–1930) all manors and land was nationalized and divided by the Latvian government.
After the Second World War, the local Soviet kolkhoz
Kolkhoz
A kolkhoz , plural kolkhozy, was a form of collective farming in the Soviet Union that existed along with state farms . The word is a contraction of коллекти́вное хозя́йство, or "collective farm", while sovkhoz is a contraction of советское хозяйство...
used stones from the castle as building materials.
Todays Castle
Embūte Castle ruins are situated far from the main road, in the sparsely populated region of CourlandCourland
Courland is one of the historical and cultural regions of Latvia. The regions of Semigallia and Selonia are sometimes considered as part of Courland.- Geography and climate :...
. Today's ruins are surrounded by trees and in quite bad condition. Only fragments of some walls
Walls
- Other uses :*Wall's , a company that makes ice cream*Wall's sausages, a British sausage brand*Walls, an episode of Power Rangers S.P.D.- Music :*Walls EP, a 2005 album by The Red Paintings*Walls , 2007...
and towers are visible.