Neuchâtel Castle (Latvia)
Neuchâtel Castle ( Latvian Jaunpils pils ) is a castle in the Latvian city of Jaunpils that goes back to an order castle and is a listed architectural monument .
history
Neuchâtel Castle was first mentioned in 1411 and probably built in the second half of the 14th century or at the beginning of the 15th century. There is no evidence for the claim, often read in tourist information, that the castle was built in 1301, because during this time the Livonian Order was at war with the city of Riga and had neither the resources nor the time to build a castle .
In the 15th century the fortifications of the complex were reinforced and a tower was built in the southeast corner. 1576 the castle passed from the Commandery Dobeln over to Mathias von der Recke. His grandson, Matthias Dietrich von der Recke (1608–1652), carried out the conversion of the castle into a palace, including the construction of a third floor. The castle was owned by his descendants until 1920. The poet Elisa von der Recke also lived in Neuchâtel Castle.
During the revolution, the castle was burned down in 1905 and then rebuilt according to plans by Wilhelm Bockslaff . Between 1920 and 1960 the facility was used for livestock farming. In 1960 it was converted to meet the needs of a cultural center. The castle has been owned by the municipality since 1991 and is used for public purposes.
architecture
The castle was built from natural stone and masonry bricks and has an irregular, quadrangular floor plan with a size of 41 × 30 meters. The round tower built in the 15th century has a diameter of 11.5 meters.
Coordinates: 56 ° 43 ′ 50 ″ N , 23 ° 1 ′ 16 ″ E
literature
- Karl von Löwis of Menar : Castle Lexicon for Old Livonia. Walters and Rapa, Riga 1922, p. 85 ( digitized version )