Built in the 18th century as the summer residence of the Duke of Courland, theRundale Palace will surprise you.
Tour starts from Riga hotel reception with private guide and by car/minivan. After 1 hour drive visit to Rundale Palace (short route and garden), which was built in the 18th century as the summer residence of the Duke of Courland, Ernest Johann von Biron and the palace was supposed to have 2 floors and 2 wings and additional servants' quarters, stables and a park. The construction was inaugurated in 1736 and as von Biron was favored by the Russian Czarina, Anna Ivanovna, he succeeded in engaging the Italian architect, Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli, the main architect of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg.
Tour shows the impressive Throne Hall, the White Hall and the Small and Grand Gallery, as well as a beautiful park around the palace. According to history, the construction was interrupted in 1738 when von Biron and Rastrelli inaugurated the construction of an even larger residence in the Courland capital of Jelgava. When Czarina Anna Ivanova died in 1740 von Biron was exiled and could return accompanied by Rastrelli only in 1763 when he was reinstated by the Russian empress Catherina the 2nd. The palace and the interior was therefore only completed in 1763-1768 and it was fairly devastated in the course of time and in 1972 a comprehensive restoration of the palace was started. After the tour, later return back to Riga.