Empress’ Lucky Lover – Cosmos Tour
By sandra. Filed in Cosmos Jewels of the Baltic Tour, Europe, Uncategorized |
Ernst Johann von Biren was born into a poor family in Latvia and rose to rule Russia (okay just for a moment).
He managed to become the lover of Anna, an Empress of Russia who gave him all sorts of gifts and power. She made him the Duke of Courland, and he built Pilsrundale, a palace near Riga modeled after Versailles, and designed by Rastrelli, the same architect as the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.
The grand palace, built between 1736 and 1740 (and then again 22 years later after his banishment to Siberia), has 138 rooms and an amazing hot air heating system made of Delft-like tiles in each room. There was a back entrance behind the rooms for the servants to stoke fires with wood without having to go through the house.
Biren lived an amazing 82 years, and this palace was only his summer one.
When Anna died with no heirs she named the Duke the next ruler. Well that lasted all of 22 days, and then it was off to Siberia for him.
Since that time, the building was used as a hospital during Napoleon’s campaign, a grain storage facility, an elementary school and as private flats. It is now finally being restored to its former glory.