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History and legend of the palace

The history of Jaunmoku Palace dates back to 120 years ago, but the settlement Jaunmokas was already mentioned in the middle of the 16th century.

History of the Palace

The name ‘Neumocken’ was first mentioned in documents as early as in 1544.

Jaunmoku Palace, where shapes of neo-Gothic style blend with Art Nouveau elements, has a special place among the masterpieces of Latvian architecture. The Palace was built in 1901 according to the design of the architect Wilhelm Bockslaff (1858-1945) as the hunting and recreation lodge for the Mayor of Riga George Armitstead (1847-1912).

George Armitstead managed Jaunmoku Palace until 1904. After his father’s death, he took over Rindzele Manor, so Jaunmoku Manor was sold to the Brinkens family.

From 1910 to 1918, the Manor belonged to the von Ungern-Sternberg family, but in 1918 the Manor was acquired by the family of Wilhelm Freymann, a German agriculturist.

In 1920, shortly before the Agrarian Reform, Jaunmoku Manor (1394 ha) was divided, but in 1929 the centre of the Manor was sold to the Health Insurance Fund of Riga City Municipality servants, which established the children’s colony or sanatorium “Cīrulīši” here.

During World War II, the Palace was used by both the Soviet and German armies. At the beginning of the war, the Palace housed a school for Soviet army sergeants, and in later years a German radio station and a military hospital.

In the post-war years, the Palace was used for offices of various institutions, apartments for workers, as well as a local club and a grocery store operated here. None of the managers repaired the building, so the Palace, which had already partially collapsed in 1974, came under the control of the Ministry of Forestry and Forest Industry of the Latvian SSR. Restoration of the Palace began, which lasted more than 20 years. After 1992, the Palace was managed by the State Hunting Administration (Valsts medību saimniecība), but, since 2000, the state joint stock company “Latvia’s State Forests”.

At the end of 2021, the replacement and renovation works of the Jaunmoku Palace roof were started. After 9 months of work, the castle got its original historical appearance and is now once again decorated with a two-color roof with an ornament made of red and black clay tiles and several roof structures, as originally intended by the castle designer Wilhelm Boxlaff.

Improvement works of the Palace are still continuing. Their goal is to make Jaunmokas one of the most important tourism and cultural centres in Latvia with broad development prospects.

Legend of the Palace

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Tel..  +371 26187442

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Looking for a gift idea? Are you distracted by the wide range? Buy a gift card and let the recipient choose what to experience and feel in Jaunmoku Castle!


We offer to buy the gift card in the electronic version in our online store or in the printed version, receiving it by mail or on the spot at the Jaunmoku Castle Information Stand.

Pieraksties un uzzini par jaunumiem pirmais!

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