Bydlin Castle was built in the 14th century and appears in documents after 1389. The builder of the castle was probably Niemierza of Strzała or his father Pełka. At the end of the 15th century the stronghold became the Brzezickis’ property, and then the Szczepanoskis’ and the Boners’. In the second half of the 16th century Jan Firlej transformed the castle into the Arian Protestant Church, and at the end of the 16th cent. his son, Mikołaj Firlej, converted it into the Catholic Church of the Holy Cross. The building was abandoned at the end of the 18th century due to escalating assaults of the brigands and since then it has been falling into ruin.
References:House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.