Mežotne ( Latvian: Mežotnes pils ; until 1918 - Mesotten , from German Schloss Mesothen ) - the Livonian family estate Liven , located in the village of Mežotne (formerly Mesotten), Latvia .
| Homestead | |
| Mezotne | |
|---|---|
| Latvian. Mežotnes pils | |
 | |
| A country |  Latvia |
| Village | Mezotne |
| Architectural style | Classicism |
| Project Author | Giacomo Quarenghi |
| Architect | |
| Founder | Charlotte Karlovna Lieven |
| Established | |
| Building | 1798 - 1802 |
The manor house was built in the style of high classicism according to a project drawn up, as the family legend says, by Giacomo Quarenghi . His customer, His Grace Princess Charlotte Karlovna Lieven , visited the distant residence only once, accompanied by Empress Maria Feodorovna . Here is the burial place of the princess.
History
In the 17th century, under the conditions of the general economic development of the Duchy of Courland , which was strongly promoted by Jacob Kettler , an active supporter of the trading strategy of mercantilism , the construction of manufactories began in the vicinity of Mesotten. One of the most famous is the tapestry , belonging to the ducal dynasty; glass and velvet manufactories were also actively operating. The Biron family , the long-standing rulers of Courland, together with the Baron family of Medem, were the actual owners of the Mesotten territory: here on the Medem estate was born Anna Dorothea of the Courland , a secular lady with diplomatic abilities known throughout Europe, the third wife of the last Duke of Courland, Peter Biron . In 1797, the Mesotten estate was granted by Emperor Paul I to the teacher of his daughters and sons Nicholas (future emperor) and Michael Charlotte von Lieven (née Baroness Gaugreben), widow of Major General Otto-Heinrich von Lieven . Charlotte Karlovna received positive recommendations from Yuri Yuryevich Brown , Governor-General of Livonia , after which Catherine II in 1783 agreed to call her to court as the teacher of her granddaughters.
Manor History
In 1798, Giacomo Quarenghi created a project for the construction of a three-story luxury manor palace for Charlotte von Lieven. This project was implemented by the Courland architect Johann Berlitz ; construction work lasted until 1802. In 1800, the creation of an extensive English park began , the area of which reached nine hectares.
A complex of administrative and farm buildings (a stable, a steward’s house, a gardener's house) was created in the Mesotten estate, which is an elegant example of a carefully planned landowner economy of the Classicist era. Elements of decoration and planning details of the central facade of the palace contain expressive signs of Quarenghi's architectural style; also a testament to his skill is the colonnade, accented by the portico of the ionic warrant .
The domed Italian hall is also made in the best traditions of the Italian architect, while Berlitz personally engaged in the design of the structure of the side facades, as well as the palace risalits. Quarenghi is not quite characterized by excessive compositional fragmentation of the elements of the side facades - most likely, the construction manager Berlitz was engaged in their development. As for the interior decoration and painting of the main domed hall, they relate approximately to the beginning of the 1830s, when the artistic concept of late classicism dominated.
History in the 20th — 21st centuries
Until 1920, the last owner of the Mezotnensky estate was the Russian military leader Anatoly Pavlovich Liven , the commander of the Libava volunteer rifle detachment formed by him, the leading combat unit of the Baltic Landeswehr , who participated in the capture of Riga on May 22, 1919 and the reprisals against adherents of the government of Soviet Latvia . In 1920, Lieven lost his ownership in connection with the entry into force of agrarian reform in independent Latvia . The requisitioned Mezotnensky castle passed into the ownership of the cultural and educational department of Latvia - it housed an agricultural school.
In 1944, the palace suffered during the retreat of the Wehrmacht military units through Courland; after the war, it housed the office of a test breeding center. In addition, the premises of the former Mezotnensky estate served for the needs of a post office, library; there were also premises for housing (ordinary apartments). In 1950, the palace was restored with a partial change in the internal layout and decoration.
In 1971-1979, a large-scale restoration of the interiors of the palace in Mezhotne was carried out; The historical painting was restored, the stucco decorations of the main domed hall designed by Quarenghi were reproduced. Work on the restoration of the decoration affected the dining room and living room. In modern Latvia, the Mezhotnensky estate houses a hotel with a small museum exposition dedicated to the general history of Mezhotne, the owners of Liven and other noble families related to them.
- ↑ Latvijas Vēstnesis - 1993.