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Mokrice Castle is located on a hill in the northern part of the settlement of Rajec near the Croatian border. First mentioned in 1444, it was rebuilt in the 16th century and in 1941.
The beginnings of the design of the castle garden belong to the period of late Baroque in the 18th century: a symmetrically regular axial scheme was arranged south of the castle. The Baroque stone statues of the Four Seasons, Baroquicised Castle Chapel of St. Anne and the gate portal in the axis of the park have been preserved. In the beginning of the 19th century the garden was redone in English landscape style. A central grassy lawn and a pond with an island were created, numerous walking and riding paths were arranged, and a larger number of trees were planted. Further arrangement of the park was aimed at perfecting the collection of trees, and so even today there are 60 different varieties of trees and shrubbery in the park. In front of the entrance to the castle there is a Roman milliary column set on a special piece of land.
After World War II it was made into a hotel with restaurants and in 1988 a golf course was built in the grounds to the castle.
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.