The charming Lazdona Manor Castle has a long history, having experienced its heydays a long time ago. For decades, the manor castle has been waiting for its dedicated owner, who would be able to restore its former splendor and let its shine be reborn.
Lazdona manor is located in Lazdona village, next to Lazdona lake. In Madona region, 6 km from Madona city, 150 km from Rīga.
Lazdona manor grounds combined with several buildings were built in various historic times. The oldest building on the manor grounds was built in 1370 under the leadership of Daniel, a knight of the Livonian Order, as a horse stable. The second oldest building, also called the White House, was built in 1588. It was the manor house. The newest building on the manor grounds is the manor castle, the construction of which was completed in 1876 during the time of the manor owner Stankēvičs. All the buildings can still be found on the former manour grounds, nowadays some used for other purpouses, others left abandoned.
The castle was built in three years, by the architect Braun. The castle was built of large, gray boulders, the middle part is two-story, with a tower built. The castle has foundations from the Livonian period. The Lazdona Manor House reflects the influence of neo-Renaissance and villa architecture, with 22 rooms. The castle was completed around 1875-1876.
There are many stories about Lazdona Manor, including that during World War I there was a military hospital on the manor, as the owner of the manor was a surgeon, and that for a time in the 1990s there was a parish house with a library on the manor.
After World War II, a fur farm was established in Lazdona, and the castle housed its office, some other administrative offices, and apartments. In the first half of the 1990s, the property was reclaimed by the descendants of the former owners, then the owners changed. Some of the first buyers had grand plans for its use, but due to financial crisis in 2008, property became abandoned and the building remained unused.
In 2015, the film “Pelnu sanatorium” by director Dāvs Sīmanis was shot here, the events of the script of which are connected to real past events in this manor.
