Vērgale Manor complex

Vērgales muiža, Vērgale, Dienvidkurzemes novads

+371 22039019

The manor building was constructed in the 18th century but was rebuilt in 1837 by order of Baron Beer as a hunting lodge. The castle was renovated in the late classical or Empire style. The building was constructed as a two-story structure with a high basement and a four-sloped roof, with two central four-column porticos on the longitudinal facades. Inside the castle, the oak staircase, stove doors, and in some rooms, the floor coverings have been preserved. Since October 26, 1922, the Vērgale Primary School has been located in the castle. In front of the castle, there is a parade courtyard, formed by two buildings symmetrically positioned opposite each other, which have been heavily renovated, yet many classical details characteristic of the style have been preserved. The servants' quarters house the boys' domestic science, design, and technology classrooms. The former barn houses a cultural center, library, and parish administration. The Vērgale manor ensemble is one of the most distinctive Empire manor complexes in Kurzeme.

A beautiful park surrounds the manor. In 1905, several Vērgale rebels were shot by a punitive expedition under the park's trees. On the park side of the castle, a rose garden was created, with seedlings reportedly brought from Italy. Elderly women have told stories that the shepherd girls, on summer days when the cows were kept in the barns due to the mid-day heat, would run to see the blooming roses—this was a magical sight.