HISTORY OF VIRKAS MANOR
HISTORY OF THE MANOR
The first records of the manor can be found in 1494. They say that the first owner of the manor was Jürgen von Firks, a descendant of the knights, who in 1494 received land from the Livonian Order of Kuldīga Komtureja and built the first house there. The name of the manor comes from the surname of its first owner - Firkss, which has been transformed into Virks in Latvian. Later, the Firks family sold the land to Duke Peter Byron, who sold it on to von der Brinken. In turn, he sold it to Werner von Baer from Ugale, until one of the famous von Sakens bought the manor.
Initially, Virkas manor was built as a summer manor, using the stylistic model of Swiss houses, but later it was included in the construction of the city of Kuldiga. In the past, Virkas manor (popularly known as Althof - Vecmuiža) owned 372 ha of land, but to this day only the park in front of the manor building, created in the 19th century, has survived. For some time there was a beautiful concrete fountain in it, which was created in 1952 by Ramona Zomerfelde, a fine arts student from Kuldīga. Unfortunately, the fountain was dismantled in the 1970s and its parts are now used as flower pots.
Over the years, the manor has gone through various tests. At the end of the 18th century, the first Lutheran school in the county was established here, which became a carrier of light and culture in the nation. During the Second World War, there was a hospital for Russian soldiers here. At the end of the war, a machine and tractor station was located here, and in the 1960s - a dormitory for "Lauktehnikas" workers. In 1991, a mansion was built here, and a little later, a wine and mini golf club, a tourist information center, a cafe and a youth hotel, even an unconventional medical institution. And for some time the manor also served as an apartment building for local residents.
Since 2014, the manor has been granted the status of an architectural monument of local importance, but in 2018, a large-scale renovation was started in the Virkas manor, where a lot of work and investments have been invested not only in the restoration and renovation of the building, but also in solutions to combine the breath of antiquity with modern requirements. In the future, it is planned to install SPA rooms in the manor, where guests will be able to fully relax and escape from the daily rush.
Although the legend of the manor is like a big mystery due to the little information found, just like in the past, the manor continues to be a refuge and refreshment for travelers.
