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Grobiņa Castle today

Latvia · Partial ruin

Grobiņa Castle

Grobiņas vidusslaiku pils

Grobiņa Castle is a medieval curtain-walled castle in Grobiņa, Latvia, originating in the mid-13th century (inception recorded 1253). Today only sections of the brick and fieldstone walls survive; the site is visited as a ruin and park.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

First raised

1253

Its prime

1253

Today

Partial ruin

As it stood in 1253

What Grobiņa Castle looked like in its prime.

A tall rectangular curtain wall built of roughly coursed fieldstone at the lower levels with later red-brick upperwork. The surviving wall face presents a vertical axis of three large rectangular openings (ground doorway, middle tall window, upper square window) and traces of a broad brick arch and plastered interior recesses. Stone base, brick infill patches and exposed rubble define a roofless interior room opening onto trees beyond; grass and earth cover the former floor.

Its story

The story of Grobiņa Castle.

Grobiņa Castle in the Courland region stands only 100 metres from the ancient Curonian castle hill of Skābāržu kalns, supposed to be the Seeburg mentioned in Scandinavian sources as early as the 9th century. The medieval castle, dating from 1253, was rebuilt and expanded by Master Gosvin von Herike around 1347 and served as seat of the Livonian Order's bailiff from 1399 to 1590, a strongpoint on the strategically important road to Prussia.

In 1560, during the Livonian War, the last master of the Order, Gotthard Kettler, pledged Grobiņa Castle to the Duke of Prussia for 15,000 guilders, the agreement signed at Reval that May. Grobiņa entered the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia in 1609, when Duke Wilhelm Kettler married Duchess Sophie of Prussia, and the castle became one of the dukes' residences, ringed with earthen ramparts, four corner bastions and a palisade fence.

In 1710 Frederick William, Duke of Courland, married Anna Ioannovna, later Empress of Russia, but took ill and died on his way back from St Petersburg. Later used as a residence by local German landlords, the castle received visitors from Duke Jacob Kettler of Courland to Carl XII of Sweden and Friedrich Wilhelm III of Prussia; today only sections of its brick and fieldstone walls survive, visited as a ruin and park.

Step inside

6 places to explore in 1253.

The record describes 6 distinct spots at Grobiņa Castle, including 4 interiors: interior view facing the east wall, ground-level portal threshold, middle-storey tall window looking out and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Exterior approach to east curtain wallInterior view facing the east wallGround-level portal thresholdMiddle-storey tall window looking outPlastered niches beneath the brick archJunction of fieldstone base and brick upperwork

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Recreate Grobiņa Castle with AI to explore it.

The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1253, a photoreal reconstruction that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.

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Whose castle

Clans who held Grobiņa Castle.

The families that held Grobiņa Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Kettler

    A residence of the Kettler dukes of Courland from 1609, when Duke Wilhelm Kettler married Sophie of Prussia.

From the archive

Grobiņa Castle on paper: the measured plan and period views.

The survey plan and photographs below are the ground truth this page's reconstructions are checked against, drawn and photographed while the castle was still a working garrison. Every image is public-domain or openly licensed, with its source named.

Grobiņa, Grobiņa Castle

Grobiņa

· Māris Locs (via Europeana)

CC BY

Grobiņa, Grobiņa Castle

Grobiņa

· National Library of Latvia (via Europeana)

CC BY

Grobiņa, Grobiņa Castle

Grobiņa

· Māris Locs (via Europeana)

CC BY

Questions about Grobiņa Castle

What is the history of Grobiņa Castle?

Grobiņa Castle’s history begins in the 13th century as a Livonian Order strongpoint protecting the road from Livonia to Prussia. Master Gosvin von Herike rebuilt and enlarged it around 1347, and it served as the bailiff’s seat from 1399 to 1590. In 1609 it became a residence of the Dukes of Courland; Swedish attacks in 1659 and during the Great Northern War caused further destruction.

What is inside Grobiņa Castle?

Inside Grobiņa Castle, the surviving south wing identifies a chapel, a shared refectory, a living room and a sleeping room with a toilet. The second floor was divided into three rooms, with large semicircular wall niches, windows and stairs built into the wall. Remains of vaulted ceilings and former plastered recesses are also visible.

Why was Grobiņa Castle built, and what was it used for?

Grobiņa Castle was built as a Livonian Order fortress to protect the road from Livonia to Prussia. It later served as the bailiff’s seat, an arsenal and a residence of the Dukes of Courland. Earthen ramparts, four corner bastions and a palisade were added when it became a ducal residence in 1609.

Where is Grobiņa Castle?

Grobiņa Castle is in the town of Grobiņa, in the Courland region of Latvia. It stands on the right bank of the Ālande, near the ancient Curonian castle hill of Skābāržu kalns. The hill is only 100 metres from the castle, while the ruins are in Grobiņa’s town centre.

When was Grobiņa Castle built?

Grobiņa Castle was built in the 13th century, with its inception recorded as 1253. The original order castle was later rebuilt as a stone castle on the right bank of the river, and Master Gosvin von Herike rebuilt and enlarged it around 1347. Its surviving fabric therefore reflects several building phases.

Was Grobiņa Castle ever attacked or besieged?

Grobiņa Castle was attacked by Swedish forces in 1659, when the town was burned and the castle looted. During the Great Northern War, the Swedish army under King Charles XII occupied and destroyed it again. Earlier, in 1263, the Livonian Order attacked and burned the Curonian wooden castle at Grobiņa.

Which family or clan held Grobiņa Castle?

The Kettler family held Grobiņa Castle as a residence of the Kettler dukes of Courland from 1609. This began when Duke Wilhelm Kettler married Sophie of Prussia, bringing Grobiņa into the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. The castle became one of the dukes’ residences.

What did Grobiņa Castle look like in its prime?

Grobiņa Castle was a rectangular, curtain-walled building made of fieldstone and brick, with a three-storey southern residential wing and a gate tower in the western wall. The lower levels used roughly coursed stone, while later upperwork used red brick. It had arched ceilings, large windows and defensive walls with corner bastions.

Is Grobiņa Castle still standing or is it a ruin?

Grobiņa Castle is a partial ruin, with sections of its brick and fieldstone walls surviving. Most of the walls still stand to three-storey height, although the western wing was almost completely destroyed in the mid-20th century. Major conservation work was carried out in the 1970s, and a park surrounds the ruins.

Who built Grobiņa Castle?

Grobiņa Castle was commissioned by the Livonian Order. It was built of brick and crude stone as a rectangular fortress, and Master Gosvin von Herike later rebuilt and expanded it around 1347. No architect is identified in the supplied material.

Can you visit Grobiņa Castle?

Grobiņa Castle can be visited as a ruin and park. The surviving castle is described as a tourist attraction and a place for local gatherings and concerts, while the surrounding ruins were made into a city park in the 19th century. The material does not identify a museum or a private residence.

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