Latvia · Restored
Ventspils Castle
Ventspils Castle is a medieval Livonian Order fortress in Ventspils, Latvia, rebuilt in the 17th century into a convent-type residence and later used for many civic purposes. The freestanding square tower and four wings around a rectangular courtyard survive and the complex has been restored and houses a museum and cultural events.
First raised
1201
Its prime
1650
Today
Restored
As it stood in 1650
What Ventspils Castle looked like in its prime.
A compact convent-type castle of pale yellow plastered masonry with a prominent freestanding square tower rising above four contiguous wings that enclose a rectangular interior courtyard. Roofs are covered in red clay tiles; the tower carries a steep pyramidal tiled roof and lookout added later. Façades show regular small rectangular and arched windows and simple white trim; a low single-storey annex with a metal roof sits against one wing, and a cobbled forecourt opens to the tower entrance.
Its story
The story of Ventspils Castle.
Ventspils Castle is one of the oldest and best-preserved Livonian Order castles, having retained its original layout since the 13th century. Through its 700-year history it has served as fortress, residence, garrison, school, military base and prison. As part of the Duchy of Courland it was the residence of the city master, until the Polish-Swedish War destroyed it — only the freestanding tower survived.
The castle was rebuilt in the 1650s as it appears today, a convent-type building of four wings around a rectangular courtyard. The tower roof gained a baroque-style spire in 1798, and in the 19th century many of the larger interior spaces were walled off into smaller chambers for the prison. Restored in the 1990s to its 19th-century appearance, the castle is now a museum, and visitors can climb the tower to the fifth floor for a panoramic view of the city.
Step inside
8 places to explore in 1650.
The record describes 8 distinct spots at Ventspils Castle — including 6 interiors: rectangular interior courtyard, tower ground floor and stair, tower 5th-floor lookout and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
Create History
Recreate Ventspils Castle with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1650 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
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