No 39272
Castles and manors
Castles and manors Latvia, Aizputes novads

Ruins of the Aizpute Castle

Found along Liepājas Street, which is the old road from Livonia to Prussia, the ruins are a symbol of Aizpute and are depicted on its herald and its flag.  Work on the castle began around 1248 and was done during the role of Dietrich von Grenningen, master of the Livonian Order.  It was a castella-type stone castle with a tower at one corner and wooden buildings in the courtyard.  The bishopric of Kurzeme was in Aizpute during the Middle Ages.  The castle was abandoned after the Livonian War in the latter half of the 16th century, but it was restored in the early 17th century, with annexes being added to it.  Part of the castle had residential flats until the 1970s.  The ruins have been preserved to a certain extent, but it is dangerous to clamber upon them, so that is forbidden.  Aizpute is one of the oldest towns in Latvia, with written information about it dating back to 1378.  100 m to the East of the ruins is a stone bridge, which is one of the newest bridges in Latvia.  The stone railings were presented by Baron Karl von Manteufel, and the bridge was installed in 1907.  The granite plaque on the railing on the north end of the bridge has the herald of the Manteufel dynasty, though it is hard to see.

 

 

Distance from countries capital city176