Zvārtava Manor (; ) is a manor house in
Gaujiena Parish,
Smiltene Municipality
Smiltene Municipality () is a municipality in Vidzeme, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2009 by Merger (politics), merging the town of Smiltene with the rural parishes of Bilska Parish, Bilska, Blome Parish, Blome, Branti Parish, Branti, Gru ...
in the historical region of
Vidzeme
Vidzeme (; Old Latvian orthography: ''Widda-semme'', ) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. The capital of Latvia, Riga, is situated in the southwestern part of the region. Literally meaning "the Middle Land", it is situated in north-centra ...
, northern Latvia. It was built in 1881 in
Tudor Neo-Gothic style.
History
The estate was first mentioned around 1405 under the name "Adsel-Schwarzhof". Until 1781, it was part of the
Gaujiena Castle
Gaujiena Castle (; ) is a castle in the historical region of Vidzeme, in northern Latvia. It was built between 1236 and 1238. Severely damaged in 1702 during the Great Northern War, the structure was abandoned.
History
Atzeles was first ment ...
estate. The ownership of the manor changed several times in the 17th century. In the 18th century, the property belonged to the family. From 1783 to 1825, it was property of the family of Magnus Johann Scotus (ennobled in 1788 in Vienna as Scotus von Scott) and his daughter Johanna (Jeanette). The manor was sold to Dr. Wilhelm Johann Engelbrecht von Zoeckell
[Materialien zu einer Geschichte der Landgüter Livlands gesammelt von Heinrich von Hagemeister, Part 1, Riga: Eduard Frantzen’s Buchhandlung, 1836, p. 267-268.] and later became the property of Luise von Zoeckell and her husband baronet Gottlieb
von Fersen. The manor belonged to von Fersen family until
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
.
[History of the Zvartava Castle and its Owners](_blank)
/ref>
In 1922, the Guard House was established in the manor house. After World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, there was a school (until 1969), the local collective farm used the castle cellars for warehouses. The manor house became the property of the ''Latvian Artists Union'' in 1970. It hosts international artists' seminars and exhibitions. A guest house has been set up.neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...
style. Boulder wall, two floors, steep gable roof. The text "Hic habitat Felicitas, nihil mali intret" is engraved on the stone on the threshold of the castle (from Latin: "Happiness lives here, nothing bad comes in").
See also
*List of palaces and manor houses in Latvia
This is a list of palaces and manor houses in Latvia built after the 16th century. This list does not include castles, which are listed in a List of castles in Latvia, separate article. And as there are more than 1000 manor houses and palaces in ...
References
Manor houses in Vidzeme
Smiltene Municipality
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