Baltic Region
Wolff Estates
Alt-Schwanenburg Castle
(lett.: Vecgulbene muižas pils)
The “Alt-Schwanenburg Castle”, also known as the “White Castle”, built in 1763 by Burkhard Christoph Münnich, came into the possession of Otto Hermann Vietinghoff in 1789 and was acquired in 1802 by Johann Gottlieb Wolff. In the 1840s, it was extensively expanded in the Neo-Renaissance style by his grandson Rudolf Gottlieb Magnus Wolff (1809-1847), and around 1880 the castle was further enlarged by Rudolf’s son Johann Heinrich Gottlieb Wolff (1843-1897). Partially burned down during the unrest of 1905, another part of the estate was destroyed by artillery fire during the Second World War.
East of Alt-Schwanenburg Castle lies the ‘Red Castle’
Johann Heinrich Gottlieb Wolff (1843-1897) had it built for her after his marriage in 1875 to Marissa Öttingen (1857-1883). In addition, he dedicated to her the newly laid-out park grounds with artificial ponds, lakes, grottos, pavilions, bridges, and so on. While the “Red Castle” is now used as a primary school, Alt-Schwanenburg Castle and its landscape park are still awaiting full restoration. The farm buildings of the Alt-Schwanenburg estate, however, have been preserved: dairy, riding hall, orangery, servants’ house, stables, and cattle kitchen.
Dickeln Castle
(lett.: Dikļi)
Dickeln Castle (Latvian: Dikļi) in Latvia was built in 1896 in the Neo-Baroque style, but its history dates back to the 15th century, when the estate was first mentioned. It was owned by Baron Paul Wolff and was extensively restored in 2003, with the older Late Classical granary from the 18th century, which is part of the ensemble, also being preserved. Today, the magnificent castle houses a hotel and museum with art collections and is an important architectural monument.
The Castle of Wenden
(lett.: Cēsu pils)
Wenden Castle (Latvian: Cēsu pils) is the ruin of a former Teutonic Order castle in the present-day Latvian city of Cēsis (German: Wenden). From 1297 to 1561, with brief interruptions, it served as the seat of the Livonian Master and thus as the political and administrative center of the Teutonic Order in Livonia. Hardly any other place embodies medieval Order rule in the Baltic region as impressively as Wenden.”
After its construction in the early 13th century by the Order of the Sword Brothers and its later takeover by the Teutonic Order, the castle developed under Hermann Balk and his successors into the main seat of the Livonian mastership. By the beginning of the 15th century, it had been expanded into a representative four-wing complex with several fortified outer baileys. In the centuries that followed, the castle was repeatedly subjected to sieges and destruction and was finally abandoned after 1703, when it was already largely in ruins.
A new historical phase began in the 18th century, when the von Wolff family became owners of the castle grounds. At a time when many medieval Order castles were being completely demolished, the Wolffs deliberately opted for the reuse and preservation of the historic site. In the area of one of the outer baileys, they had a manor house built, which integrated the ruin into the noble estate and living environment and gave the complex a new function beyond its military past.
With this step, the von Wolff family shaped Wenden’s transition from a purely Order castle to a cultural-historical site of remembrance. The medieval substance was preserved, while at the same time the grounds were integrated into the noble landscape and estate culture of the Baltic region. This development continued in the early 19th century, when later owners designed the surroundings of the castle as a romantic landscape garden - an approach that deliberately staged the historic ruin as a testimony to past eras.
To this day, Wenden Castle is inseparably linked with this phase of its history. It is one of the best-preserved castle ruins in Latvia and one of the most important sights of the city of Cēsis. Since 16 December 1998, the complex has been under monument protection, as has the neighboring Nussberg, on which the wooden predecessor structure was located.
The role of the von Wolff family thus marks a decisive turning point: they preserved the castle from complete disappearance and contributed to the fact that Wenden has been preserved to this day as a historical, cultural, and identity-forming monument of Livonia.
Sources: See Imprint
