Rundāle Palace Museum

Latvia

Rundāle Palace, the summer residence of the Duke of Courland, Ernst Johann Biron, was built according to the architectural design of the architect Francesco Rastrelli from 1736 to 1740, and from 1764 to 1768.  Most of the interiors were produced between 1765 and 1768, when sculptor Johann Michael Graff and painters Francesco Martini and Carlo Zucchi worked at the palace. The state staircases and the Small Gallery are unique examples of Francesco Rastrelli’s early design style and have survived to this day. The artistic restoration of interiors was carried out from 1972 to 2014.

The Baroque garden of Rundāle Palace was created under the leadership of gardeners Christopher and Michael Weyland (1736–1740) and has been restored by the Museum, preserving the initial layout as designed by Rastrelli. It now displays all the characteristic elements of Baroque gardens including a rose garden (approx. 2200 varieties), a collection of decorative trees and shrubs, and plantations of summer flowers and perennial plants characteristic to the 18th century.