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The Castle of the Livonian order, which houses Ventspils Museum since 2001, is the oldest preserved building in Ventspils, built in the second half of the 13th century. It is a convent-house type building with an inner yard, and can be regarded as the oldest medieval fortress in Latvia to have retained its original form virtually unchanged. The castle's chapel is the oldest preserved church building in the region.
During the 13th-16th century the castle was used by Livonian Order. After this there has been a Lutheran church (1706-1835) and a Russian Orthodox church (1845-1901) in the chapel. Building was also used as a prison (1832-1959). After the II world war the castle housed various administrative institutions and army units.
The Soviet border guards garrison left the castle in 1983 and in 1997 the castle's façades were restored and the area around it improved. Restoration work is still underway. The permanent exhibition of Ventspils Museum opened in 2001 and it has been arranged in the attractive castle tower, which has a tele-panorama on the first and the fifth floor of the castle.
The museum regularly houses temporary exhibitions of art and history, as well as concerts and other events.
189 km west of Riga.
Easy to come by bus.
Open daily from 9.00/10.00 until 17.00/18.00
Guided tours in Latvian, Russian, English.
Permanent exhibition about history of the region, town and harbor.
17 cent. salute canon and real salutes for visitors
Museum tavern "Melnais Sivens"("Black Piglet") and a souvenir shop
Different museum events all year, knights tournament at the end of May
