Skaistkalne Manor

Skaistkalne economic center has historically been a manor. The manor complex still has a manor house, a barn, a magazine, a water mill on the banks of the Mēmele River and a stone bridge. The first owner of Skaistkalne Manor in 1489 was Heinrich Schoenberg, who was granted estate by the master of the Livonian Order Freitag-Loringhofen. The name of the manor originated from the first name of the owner and later became Latvian. Around 1650 the manor was bought by Johann von Berg-Carmel, who in 1658 initiated the construction of a Catholic church. In 1738 Skaistkalne manor was bought by Nikolaus von Korff, the owner of Priekule and Asīte manors and Brukna Manor, which is located about 20 kilometers from Skaistkalne.[1] The manor remained in possession of Korff noble family until the Latvian Agrarian Reform in 1920s. [2]

The building was erected between 1893 and 1894, according to the project of Liepaja architect Max Paul Berchi.[3] It was converted into a primary school in the 1920s, and now houses the Skaistkalne secondary school. A luxurious fireplace and fragments of decorative elements have survived.[4]

• List of palaces and manor houses in Latvia