Rundale Palace (Pilsrundale)- Rundale, Bauska, Latvia.
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N 56° 24.806 E 024° 01.470
35V E 316442 N 6256067
A Palace in the Bauskas region of Latvia with stunning architecture and beautiful gardens to the rear. To appreciate the gardens fully you need to visit at different times throughout the year as there are a number of themed gardens.
Waymark Code: WM3TR9
Location: Latvia
Date Posted: 05/17/2008
Views: 86
Rundale Palace (Latvian: pilsrundales; German: schloss ruhental, formerly also ruhenthal and ruhendahl) is the most important baroque palace in Latvia, situated at Pilsrundale, 12 km ( 7 miles ) west of Bauska. It was constructed in the 1730s to a design by Bartolomeo Rastrelli as a summer residence of Ernst Johann von Biron, the duke of Courland. Following Biron's fall from grace, the palace stood empty until the 1760s, when Rastrelli returned to complete its interior decoration.
After Courland was absorbed by the Russian Empire in 1795, Catherine the Great presented the palace to her lover, Prince Zubov, who spent his declining years there. His young widow, Thekla Walentinowicz, a local landowner's daughter, remarried Count Shuvalov, thus bringing the palace to the Shuvalov family, with whom it remained until the Russian Revolution of 1917.
The palace is one of the major tourist destinations in Latvia. It is also used for the accommodation of notable guests, such as the leaders of foreign nations. The palace and the surrounding gardens are now a museum. There is an entry fee to the palace but the gardens are free.
To reach Pilsrundale you can as I did, catch a bus from Bauska which cost at the time 40 Santimu (38 pence).
Earliest Recorded Date of Construction: 01/01/1730
Additional Dates of Construction:
1760's interior decoration completed.
Architectural Period/Style: Baroque
Architect (if known): Bartolomeo Rastrelli
Type of Building e.g. Country House, Stately Home, Manor:
Palace
Interesting Historical Facts or Connections:
See above
Main Material of Construction: Brick
Private/Public Access: Public
Opening Hours (if applicable): From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
Rating: 
Landscape Designer (if known): Not listed
Listed Building Status (if applicable): Not listed
Admission Fee (if applicable): Not Listed
Related Website: Not listed
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