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Founded: 14th centuryCategory: Castles and fortifications in Latvia
Historical period: State of the Teutonic Order (Latvia)
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Nurmuiža Castle walls date from the 14th century castle built by the Livonian Order. The castle was erected in the 16th-17th centuries, less as a fortification, more as an economic centre. At the same time a passable tower was built, too, in the 19th century decorated in the Empire style. In the centre of the castle there is a small yard. The windows of the main facade have ornamental sgraffito framings in mannerism. In the castle the building structure of a fortified castle is combined with details characteristic of classicism.
The castle was rebuilt both at the end of the 17th century and shortly before World War I (according to the project by the architect W. Bockslaff). Since the last reconstruction the building has retained interiors in neoclassicism, as well as mural and ceiling paintings.The complex of the manor represents buildings erected in the 17th-19th centuries when the manor belonged to the von Fircks. In the courtyard there is a memorial stone (1982) to the developers of the Latvian carriage horse breed.
At the castle there is a park that was started to lay out in the 17th century, with two ponds, chestnut tree lined pathways and about 22 exotic species of trees and shrubbery.
References:The Broch of Clickimin is a large and well preserved, though somewhat restored broch near Lerwick. Originally built on an island in Clickimin Loch (now increased in size by silting and drainage), it was approached by a stone causeway. The water-level in the loch was reduced in 1874, leaving the broch high and dry. The broch is situated within a walled enclosure and, unusually for brochs, features a large 'blockhouse' between the opening in the enclosure and the broch itself. Another unusual feature is a stone slab featuring sculptured footprints, located in the causeway which approached the site. Situated across the loch is the Clickimin Leisure Centre.