Bauska is a town in the Zemgale region, which is famous for its rich fields of grain and is also knows as Latvia’s “granary”.
But the first inhabitants of Bauska are said the have been reindeer hunters. As time went by, major trade routes from Europe to Riga were developed and passed through the town.
Rundale Palace is just a 15 minute drive from Bauska. Its name comes from the German word Ruhenthal, or Valley of Peace. The palace was built between 1736 – 1740 for the Dukes of Courland. It’s the most prominent treasure of the Baroque and Rococo periods in Latvia.
The Palace is by a design of the famous Russian Court architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli.
Bauska Caste was first mentioned in historical documents in 1443 when the Livonian Order built a fortress on the hillock at the confluence of Memele and Musa.
During the Renaissance period, in the late 16th century, the Dukes of Courland Gotthard and Friedrich rebuilt the forepart of the caste into a fortified residence that was surrounded by defensive earthen ramparts and bastions, perfected till the early 18th century.