Nīca Great Manor Barn
The Nīca Great Manor Barn is an authentic architectural monument of local significance located in the center of Nīca. Built in 1853, the barn was part of the Nīca Great Manor complex, which included several buildings: a residential house, a dairy processing facility, a post and clerk’s office, an ice cellar, a stable with a carriage house, hen, pig, and cattle sheds, a former brewery converted into a forge, a former distillery turned into a smallholder's house, a threshing barn, a guardhouse, a farm shed, windmills, a potato cellar, a horse shed, and two barns with a basement. The manor grounds also featured a picturesque pond. Although originally constructed with minor modifications over the years, only the Great Manor Barn has survived to this day.
The original owners of the manor are unknown, as they frequently changed, but it is known that it was once owned by Duke Jacob of Courland. During that period, Nīca Manor was one of the largest manorial estates under the Duke. Later, in 1795, when Courland was annexed to Russia, Nīca Manor and its parish became the property of the Russian state, a situation that remained unchanged until the establishment of the Latvian state. Thus, the barn served as a utility building for the Duchy of Courland, later the Courland Governorate’s crown manor, and then various local administrative purposes. Unfortunately, detailed information about the manor itself is scarce, as a fire destroyed all documentation related to the buildings.
The barn is constructed of fieldstones and red bricks characteristic of 18th- and 19th-century manorial architecture. Its original tile roof adds charm to the cultural landscape of the parish center. The building is massive with a simple, robust design and was used primarily as a storage facility. Today, its practical use is minimal, but a modernization project is underway to repurpose the structure for new functions.