The Bauska Castle

One of the most important military and political elements of the Livonian Order, the Bauska Castle was built between 1443 and 1456 at the place where the Mūsa and Mēmele rivers flow together.  The castle had five towers and walls that were up to three metres thick.  Between 1580 and 1596, the forecastle was replaced with a residence for the duke of Courland, and its walls were finished with the sgrafito technique.  The castle suffered damage during wars in the 16th and 17th century, but it was always restored until 1706, when the Russian military blew it up during the Great Northern War.  Today the castle houses a museum, with a viewing platform in its south-eastern tower.