The year 1751 is considered the year when the Liepupes manor house was built. The author of this architectural masterpiece was the Riga master mason Johann Andreas Haberland, the father of the famous Christoph Haberland. The manor house has been owned by the prominent von Meke family and the lesser-known von Zenger family. Liepupes Manor and the von Meke family are connected to many world-famous historical figures. The famous Baron Munchausen’s wife Jakobine was the sister of Baroness von Meke, Nadežda von Meke was the patroness of Pyotr Tchaikovsky, and Friedrich von Meke was the teacher of Garlieb Merkel and a promoter of Enlightenment ideas in the manorial society of Vidzeme. The von Meke family owned Liepupes Manor until 1829, when the von Zenger family became the rightful owners of the manor. The von Zenger family managed Liepupes Manor for almost 100 years until 1922, when the estate was expropriated by the newly established Latvian state. The von Zenger family maintained Liepupes Manor with great respect for the previous owners’ ideas. Relatively few details in the manor house indicate changes imposed by the 19th-century fashion of historicism in manor architecture.
In the 1930s, the manor house was turned into a school for agricultural workers, and a number of cosmetic renovations were carried out. During World War II, Liepupes Manor was mostly undamaged, but it lost many beautiful trees in its cultivated park area and the chestnut alley that decorated the road leading directly to the manor house. After the war, the manor house was repurposed as the center for the Soviet collective farm “Liepupe,” housing an office, a club, a library, and some apartments. The club hosted the local dance group, ensemble, choir, and traveling theater, and the hall screened films 2-3 times a week. During the Soviet era, the manor house suffered at least five fires for various reasons, and only by fortunate coincidence did it not burn down.
Soviet pragmatism did not spare the interior of Liepupes Manor, as still-existing Baroque-era stoves were demolished and thrown into the manure pit, and the building was reconstructed to meet the needs of the collective farm. Beautiful ceiling decorations were destroyed to make way for new walls.
Later, the manor house passed into the ownership of the Liepupes parish, and the Baroque-era building no longer had a purpose. In recent history, Liepupes Manor was long unjustly abandoned, unused, and vandalized.
After many years of abandonment, in 2003, Liepupes Manor was included in the list of 100 most endangered cultural and historical monuments in Europe. However, like a phoenix, the manor soon began to shine in all its glory once again. Today, the place has changed beyond recognition. Liepupes Manor and its park are beautifully maintained, and the surrounding village of Liepupe has also transformed, gradually turning from a forgotten corner into a neat and cared-for village. Liepupe has become a place recognized both in Latvia and internationally. Guests from Latvia and all over the world appreciate the comfort and quality of the hotel, restaurant, and spa located at Liepupes Manor. The best way to describe any hotel is by the guests’ reviews, and for the third year in a row, Liepupes Manor has maintained a rating of 9.4 on the global hotel booking network, booking.com. Only a few hotels in Latvia can boast such a high rating. The most beautiful part of this story is that Liepupes Manor is a true pride of Latvia, as its owners are Latvians.
Today, the restored Liepupes Manor has revived its original aura – both the Baroque double-leaf massive entrance doors, among the oldest of such doors in Latvia, and the facade decorations, the ancient wooden floors, the painted tile stoves, the ceiling designs, and one of the rare Baroque wooden staircases in Latvia have all been carefully restored.
The owner of Liepupes Manor herself has led the restoration and reconstruction work and also created the manor’s interior, for which she received the State Inspection of Heritage and Cultural Monuments’ annual award for her recognition in the field of restoration and reconstruction at Liepupes Manor. The owner’s dedication is evident, as guests highly appreciate her work and emphasize that they can feel the presence of love at every corner of the manor.
Liepupes Manor is proud of its magnificent history, which is detailed in Kristīne Zaļuma’s book “Liepupes Manor.”
A place where rural romance, simplicity, and history meet sophistication, elegance, and modern comforts – that is Liepupes Manor today. The interior successfully combines historical details with contemporary comfort. It can be confidently stated that there are very few places like this in Latvia.
