Alsunga Castle ( lv, Alsungas pils; german: Schloss Alschwangen) is a castle in
Alsunga
Alsunga (also Alšvanga, german: Alschwangen) is a village in Alsunga Parish, Kuldīga Municipality in the Courland region of Latvia. Alsunga is the center of the Suiti, a small Catholic community in the Lutheran western part of Latvia. The ...
village, in
Alsunga Parish,
Kuldīga Municipality in the
Courland
Courland (; lv, Kurzeme; liv, Kurāmō; German and Scandinavian languages: ''Kurland''; la, Curonia/; russian: Курляндия; Estonian: ''Kuramaa''; lt, Kuršas; pl, Kurlandia) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands in western Latvia. ...
region of
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
. It was built for the
Livonian Order
The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order,
formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation.
History
The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after t ...
during the first half of the 14th century.
History
Alsunga Castle was built near the Curonian castle mound, which was later called
Alsungas Dižgabalkalns, in written sources it was mentioned as '' Aliswangis''.
The settlement was mentioned in the written sources for the first time in 1231 in a contract between the elders of a Curonian tribe and the papal envoy
Baldwin of Alna
Baldwin of Alna (german: Baldwin von Alna or Alva; french: Baudoin d’Aulne died in 1243) was Pope Gregory IX envoy and later Papal legate in Baltic region.
He participated in both Northern Crusades and crusades to the East.
History
Baldw ...
. During the time of the king Alsunga was part of his
Bandava country.
In 1341, the
Livonian Order
The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order,
formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation.
History
The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after t ...
Kuldiga Commandry in Alsunga was fortified, and in 1372 the Order built a
quadrangular stone castle, which was later supplemented with round towers. The Order Cemetery, which was subordinated to the Kuldīga Commandry, was established there.
In the
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia
The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia ( la, Ducatus Curlandiæ et Semigalliæ; german: Herzogtum Kurland und Semgallen; lv, Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste; lt, Kuršo ir Žiemgalos kunigaikštystė; pl, Księstwo Kurlandii i Semigalii) was ...
from 1573 to 1728, Alsunga Castle Manor belonged to Marshal Schwerin of the Duchy of Courland in the
Alsunga Parish.
In 1623, then landlord Johan Ulrich von Schwerin married
in the Catholic Church tradition Miss Barbara Konarska
Barbara von Schwerin (Konarska h. Ossoria)
/ref> of Polish-Lithuanian descent and Catholic. In 1632, he brought the Jesuits to Alsunga. As a result of the Jesuit missionary work, part of the people turned to the Catholic faith, nowadays their descendants live in Latvia Suiti folklore.
In 1738, Alsunga came into the possession of the dukes of Duchy of Courland and Semgallen. Since then, the complex was the administrative center of the estate
Estate or The Estate may refer to:
Law
* Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations
* Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries.
** The Estates, representat ...
Alsunga.
In 1741 the castle was rebuilt into a castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
in the baroque style.
After the castle had been nationalized in 1920, a dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...
was established there in 1925. In 1939 the second floor was extended and the building rebuilt for the local school.
See also
* List of castles in Latvia
References
External links
*
Alsunga Castle
Castles in Latvia
Kuldīga Municipality
Castles of the Livonian Order
Castles of the Teutonic Knights
Aizpute County
Courland
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