Rundāle Palace Museum

Rundāle Palace ensemble is the most outstanding monument of baroque and rococo architecture and art in Latvia. The palace was built as a summer residence of the Duke of Courland, Ernst Johan Biron, according to the project of the architect Francesco Rastrelli, in two periods - between 1736 and 1740, and between 1764 and 1768. Most of the interiors were created between 1765 and 1768, when the sculptor Johann Michael Graf and the painters Francesco Martini and Carlo Zucchi worked in the palace.

In 1972, the Rundāle Palace Museum was founded and the restoration of the palace ensemble began.In the eastern part of the palace, visitors can see the parade halls - the Golden Hall, the White Hall and the Great Gallery. The central building houses the duke's suites - parade salons and private suite rooms, and the western building - the duchess' suite rooms and exhibition rooms.

The French garden of Rundāle Palace (10 ha) was established under the leadership of gardeners Christopher and Michael Weiland alongside the construction of the palace and restored during the existence of the museum, preserving the original plan of the architect Rastrelli. Now it displays all the elements characteristic of a baroque garden - ornamental parterre, fountain, Green Theater, bosquets, pergolas, pavilions, labyrinth. The French garden of Rundāle Palace is the most remarkable baroque garden in the Baltics. In 2021, it won the European Garden Award. In summer, Garden Festival and classical music concerts are held in the park.

Offers

• The permanent exhibition "From Gothic to Art Nouveau. European and Latvian decorative art of the 15th - 20th centuries." (13 rooms)
• Exhibition of church art (Rundāle Palace in the Chapel of the Holy Family in the palace stables)
• Exhibition of sarcophagi "Pompa funebris" (on the plinth floor of the palace)
• Free exhibitions in the exhibition rooms on the first floor of the palace: "Stone forgings and metal forgings in Latvia" on the plinth floor of the palace (all year), "Building history of Rundāle Palace" on the plinth floor of the palace (all year), "Flowers in the baroque garden", "From the orangery to the palm house", "Garden parterres”
• Rental of museum premises and garden territory, (information)
• Guided tours or excursions by electric vehicle through the garden of Rundāle Palace and its surroundings
• Theatrical events
• Board game "Discover Rundāle Palace" and game for school groups "Junior restaurateurs"
• First waltz for the newlyweds in the White Hall

Traditional events and offers at the facility

• Blooming tulips in Rundāle Palace Park in May
• Blooming of historical roses in Rundāle Palace Park in June
• Rundāle Palace Garden Festival
• Early music festival in July
• Liepāja Symphony Orchestra Festival in July/August