In honor of the anniversary of Krustpils Castle, special programs are planned for a whole year, there will be concerts, exhibitions, they will start taking tourists to the previously closed cellars with ghosts
RIGA, January 24 - Sputnik, Evgeny Leshkovsky. Krustpils Castle (formerly Kreutzburg) is a border place: here is the border between Vidzeme and Latgale. The town with the castle was built on the right bank of the Daugava and is connected by a bridge with Jekabpils. It can be said that Latgale begins with him, and he keeps many secrets. This year he turned 780 years old.
At a historic crossroads
The castle appeared thanks to the Riga bishop Nicholas Nauen in 1237. More than three centuries later, it was captured by the troops of Ivan the Terrible, and then the castle, along with many other settlements of the whole region, became the property of the Polish king. At the end of the 16th century, Stefan Batory handed over the castle and the land around the feudal lord Nikolai Corfu - for eternal use. By the way, in the fall of 1771, Alexander Suvorov did not live in it for long, completing the "Polish campaign" …
The Korfov family owned the territory until the beginning of the last century. During the years of the First Republic, the Latvian army was stationed in the castle, and after the Great Patriotic War, a Soviet military unit was based there. And now the workers of the castle, which has become a museum since 1994, are trying to preserve “all eras” in it - up to the 20th century.
Krustpils Castle from a bird's eye view
Promotional video:
Photo: GATIS BALODIS / FROM THE ARCHIVE OF THE KRUSTPILSKY CASTLE
In September 1861, the Kreuzburg station appeared nearby - when the Riga - Dinaburg (Daugavpils) railway was launched. And in 1901 the station crossed with the Moscow-Vindava (Ventspils) railway. Soon a large railway junction was formed nearby and a bridge was built across the Western Dvina (Daugava), which, alas, was destroyed during the First World War. And already in the years of the First Republic the city and the castle were renamed from Kreuzburg to Krustpils.
The main secret is under lock and key
Various events and special programs are planned for this entire anniversary year. There are many rooms in the castle, where before tourists were not allowed at all, but now they have been opened, although there has not yet been thorough restoration work carried out.
- We have now written several projects and are awaiting responses from European funds, since there is still a lot to be restored in the castle and considerable funds are needed. For example, there used to be a lot of wall paintings in the castle, but throughout the last century, the military was based in the premises, the halls were re-equipped for army needs, repairs were done, and painted. The top layer of paint must now be removed, and then the old painting and various interior elements must be restored. At the same time, unique paintings of the 18th century have been preserved on the walls of the first floor, says the architect Dace Lukshevica.
The castle has been rebuilt several times over many centuries, and its medieval part is the foundation and cellars. Work is already underway there, but the problem is in the high level of groundwater - it is not easy to get into the depths. And there you can still find a lot of interesting things.
Haunted basement
In turn, Professor of the Latvian Academy of Culture, employee of the Monument Protection Inspectorate Juris Urtans said the following:
- Several years ago, when they planned to build a road nearby, large archaeological restoration work was carried out near the castle. Then my colleagues found the so-called fortification of the castle and many different ancient objects, which are now important not only to correctly describe scientifically, but also to comprehend.
Juris Urtans recommends everyone to go to the castle and, if possible, be sure to go to the medieval cellars - with candles or lanterns.
The interior of the Kristpils castle
Photo: FROM ARCHIVE OF KRUSTPILSKY CASTLE
- Of course, the castle has ghosts, legends, and an underground passage under the Daugava. Everything is as it should be! A joke, of course, but … In every joke there is only a fraction of a joke. Who knows, maybe if you manage to get into the lowest tiers of the castle, then some underground passages will be discovered. True, they are unlikely to bring them out under the Daugava now, since the level of the river has become higher over the centuries and the groundwater has risen, - the archaeologist notes.
There are a lot of legends there - as in other castles along the river banks. But it is known for certain that, for example, a large load of cannonballs lies nearby at the bottom. They were drowned with a wagon train during the crossing of the Prussian troops, who were part of Napoleon's army during the Patriotic War. Something more ancient at the bottom, probably, cannot be found, because in that place in the Daugava there is a strong current, and some objects lighter in comparison with cast-iron cannonballs carried away further - and scattered many kilometers from the castle.
According to Juris Urtans, the layout of the castle is also interesting. For example, the central courtyard and the tower, which was used as a water tower two centuries ago. It is also unusual that the castle has long belonged to a Lutheran family. Kreutzburg was then in the Vitebsk province, where the Catholics lived. And the Korfs remained Lutherans - they did not change the faith, as did their subjects.
An interesting place is located away from the castle, but historically connected with it: the ancient settlement of Asote.
Get to the bottom of the settlement
- This settlement existed until the beginning of the XIII century, and the castle appeared many years later downstream. Trade routes passed through Asote, including through the Daugava, and roads stretched along the land to the south and north. There was also a border center: beyond the Aiviekste River, a tributary of the Daugava, other people's possessions began, but whose - it's difficult to say, since it was a long time ago, says Juris Urtans.
According to the ancient Chronicle of Henry of Latvia, Asot had a wooden castle, an administrative and military center, which was part of the legendary Old Russian Ersik principality, which was the inheritance of Polotsk. The famous Latvian historian Igor Gusev told a lot about this:
- The territory of the principality was vast, it included lands on the left bank of the Dvina, a dozen castles with villages. Most of these fortresses belonged to Russian "men" - vigilantes. The principality was inhabited not only by Russians, but also by villages and Latgalians. The city of Jersika itself, the capital of the principality, was great and rich. The name Ersika, or Gertsike, is close to the Old Slavonic "city", "settlement". And prince Vsevolod Mstislavovich ruled there at the beginning of the XIII century, - says Igor Gusev.
So history itself tells us to visit Krustpils Castle this year.