The palace ensemble covers 85 hectares and is a distinct focal point for cultural history in Rundāle. The palace museum offers various perspectives, from architectural history to art and cultural history and historical ways of life. If you also choose a travel destination based on its cultural themes, Rundāle offers specific points of interest.
Tours and themes at the palace museum
Rundāle Palace Museum offers tours in Latvian, Russian, German, English and French. If a particular tour language is important for your plans, check the dates for your preferred day before your visit. This will help you coordinate your choice of language with the timing of your visit.
The exhibitions cover the history of the palace and the Biron family of the Dukes of Courland. Other themes include early periods in Latvian art history, decorative arts and garden art, as well as the everyday life and festive culture of various historical periods. This breadth offers different ways to explore the subject: you can focus, for example, on the development of the palace or explore art, crafts and historical ways of life.
Architectural history, documents and fashion
The exhibition “Rundāles pils būvvēsture” presents the history of the palace through a variety of materials, including finds from the palace grounds and interiors, archival documents and historical photographs. Objects, written records and images provide different ways to explore its architectural history. If you are interested in how historic buildings are studied, this combination makes the exhibition a particular highlight.
“18th-Century Fashion” offers another perspective on historical culture. The exhibition presents restored clothing and shoes, antique lace and fabrics, as well as women’s personal-care accessories. The theme of fashion is therefore not limited to garments: materials and personal-care objects are also among the exhibits. The exhibitions on offer may change, so check in advance which ones are scheduled for your visit.
The palace’s historical dates help distinguish between two different aspects. It was built from 1736 to 1740 as a summer residence for Duke Ernst Johann von Biron. The artistic decoration of the interiors, however, was created from 1765 to 1768. These periods therefore refer to the construction of the palace and the later artistic decoration of its interiors—not to the same stage of work.
Garden art and other historical connections
The Green Amphitheatre also offers a specific insight into the design of the ensemble: it follows Rastrelli’s original design and the surviving relief features. This provides a way to recognize the connection between garden art, design and landforms. It adds a landscape perspective to the exhibition content without conflating the different themes of the palace museum.
Another named historic site is the watermill of the Rundāle estate, Rundāles ūdensdzirnavas. It was built at the end of the 18th century and is located in the centre of Pilsrundāle. This is a distinct topic in local history from the palace exhibitions. During your stay, you can therefore decide whether you are primarily interested in the museum’s exhibits, the architecture and garden art of the palace ensemble, or the history of the watermill as well.
Discover more destinations: Mazmežotne, Priedītes.
See the overview of the wider region: Rundāles Novads.
