Rundāle Palace: Two palaces, one heritage: beauty, history and art in Latvia
By Signe Hansen | Photos & Video: Rundāle Palace Museum
Rundāle Palace Museum offers a unique insight into life in one of the duke’s palaces in the 18th century.
Hidden in the serene Latvian countryside of the Semigallia region, Rundāle Palace stands out as a rare, visually and historically striking sight. Designed in the 18th century as a ducal residence, it unites architecture, interiors and garden in a single, carefully orchestrated vision. In summer, flowers take centre stage – through garden festivals, exhibitions and a rose garden at its seasonal peak – while nearby, Mežotne Palace offers a quieter, Neoclassical counterpoint beside the Lielupe River.
Built between 1736 and 1740 for Ernst Johann von Biron, Duke of Courland and Semigallia, Rundāle Palace was designed to impress. Biron, a close confidant of Empress Anna of Russia, commissioned the leading court architect of the Russian Empire, Francesco Rastrelli, to create a residence that reflected his power and refinement.
This is the only building that features Rastrelli’s early architectural design, unaltered still today. After a long interruption caused by Biron’s exile, construction resumed in the 1760s with craftsmen from across Europe completing the interiors and introducing Rococo style. Light-filled rooms unfold in a sequence of ornament, colour and movement, where floral motifs, shells and asymmetry soften the grandeur. As museum director Laura Lūse explains, Rundāle was never intended as a country manor: “Rundāle is not just a manor house – it was built as a true royal residence. Its Rococo interiors create a sense of lightness and joy. It is elegant but never overwhelming.”
As a result, the palace is a beautiful blend of styles, cultures and artistry that you will not find elsewhere, especially not in its exceptionally well-preserved state. Of the thousands of manor complexes which once shaped Latvia’s economic and social life, only 20 per cent stand today, and none survived with intact furnishings and artwork. “Rundāle is the only place where you can truly see how life would have looked in one of the duke’s palaces in the 18th century,” stresses Lūse.
When the garden takes the lead
Outside, the palace opens onto a 10-hectare French formal garden designed as an extension of the architecture itself. Gravel paths, clipped hedges and ornamental parterres draw the eye outward, while symmetry and surprise play equal roles – a hallmark of Baroque garden design.
At the heart of it all lies Latvia’s largest historical rose garden, home to more than 2,300 varieties. In early summer, the garden is at its most vibrant, and this moment is celebrated with the annual Garden Festival, held in late June.
The festival transforms the grounds into a lively cultural landscape. Dance performances from different eras, music, circus acts, workshops and children’s activities unfold among the flowerbeds, while market stalls offer plants, crafts and seasonal treats linked to Latvia’s Midsummer traditions. By evening, concerts by choirs and classical musicians lend the garden a softer, more contemplative mood. It is festive without feeling crowded – a celebration that encourages wandering, pausing and lingering.
Beyond the formal garden, a forest park once used for ducal hunting now offers shaded walking trails, free to explore and ideal for slowing the pace after a busy day.
Nestled beside the Lielupe River, Mežotne Palace presents a restrained neoclassical architecture and beautiful landscape
Flowers on canvas and in context
Inside the palace, summer continues in a more reflective key. Alongside permanent exhibitions such as From Gothic to Art Nouveau and the Church Art exhibition, this year Rundāle will host seasonal shows that deepen the garden experience rather than compete with it.
An exhibition, Allure of Flowers, opening on 25 May, explores how plants were understood, cultivated, and depicted in European art in the 17th and 18th centuries. “Flower paintings reveal more than beauty alone – they tell stories of trade routes, scientific discovery and symbolism, showing how exotic plants reached Europe and how bouquets were carefully composed to convey meaning,” explains Lūse. “There will also be some surprising elements, large-scale floral installations and unexpected, contemporary twists, created to quite literally take the visitors’ breath away.”
A quiet finale at Mežotne Palace
For travellers keen to extend their historic journey, Mežotne Palace is just half an hour away. Completed at the beginning of the 19th century, its restrained Neoclassical architecture creates a calmer, more introspective atmosphere.
Nestled beside the Lielupe River, the palace sits within an English-style landscape park that invites slow exploration. In summer, a floating pedestrian bridge links the grounds to the opposite bank, where an ancient hill fort survives as an archaeological monument. With fewer exhibitions and a gentler rhythm, Mežotne offers space to absorb architecture, landscape and silence.
Together, Rundāle and Mežotne offer two distinct yet complementary insights into the history of Latvia: one exuberant and flower-filled, the other serene and reflective – both rooted in a shared respect for history, a commitment to preservation, and a passion for renewing and sharing Latvia’s unique cultural heritage.
Web: www.rundale.net
Facebook: Rundāles pils/Rundāle Palace; Mežotnes pils
Instagram: @rundalespils
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