Ventspils Castle is Ventspils Castle is the oldest fortress in Latvia, it has been standing on the banks of the Venta River for 800 years. It is not only the oldest fortress in the country, but also a medieval prison, which has survived to this day in such an excellent condition. It is not only the oldest fortress in the country, but also a medieval prison, which has survived to this day in such an excellent form. The first mention of Ventspils Castle in historical chronicles dates back to 1290. The same year is also considered to be the year of foundation of the city of Ventspils, which was formed around the castle.
All the buildings of the castle were built in the 14th century. They formed a complex of buildings with an inner courtyard. A document dated 1442 has been preserved, in which states that there are 7 knights living in Ventspils Castle, as well as armoury, for 32 men, 6 cannons and other weapons. During this period Ventspils was included in the list of trading cities of the Hanseatic League. As the fortress Ventspils was located near an important sea route, the castle towers were used as a lighthouse.
Ventspils Castle had many long underground passages which would have been used as a refuge in case of danger. One of these passages led out to the the right bank of the Venta River into the forest. Nowadays, where the passage ended, there's a huge cobblestone. There's a legend about this place, according to which the castle manager's daughter of the castle manager fell in love with a simple fisherman. Her father, of course, was against against such love, and repeatedly said he'd rather give his daughter to the devil than to a fisherman. So, one night, the daughter and her father argued again, and at exactly midnight, as soon as the the manager repeated the phrase again, the devil jumped out and took the girl away. The old man and the devil dragged the beauty down the underground passage.
As soon as they reached the stone, to which the mechanism was attached, the devil lifted the stone and climbed out. As the girl was climbing through the passage, the mechanism suddenly broke and the stone fell, pinning the girl's arms. No matter how hard the devil tried to free her, nothing worked. With the singing of the rooster, the devil disappeared, and the girl was left in that very spot to die of grief and cold. Since then, at midnight at this rock there are moans - it's the manager's daughter calling out to her favourite fisherman...
In 1832, the rebuilding of Ventspils Castle came to an end and from that time onwards it became the county jail. Also, during this period, the administrative and solitary confinement buildings. The prison remained in the in the castle until 1959. After that, it was the base of the border guards of the Soviet Union.
Restoration works in the castle were carried out in 1977, during which time the facade of Ventspils Castle was renovated. Ventspils Castle facade was renewed and the territory was organised. On the castle tower a weather vane was placed on the castle tower. In addition, extensive research was carried out on the territory of the castle, which resulted in the discovery of fragments of unique frescoes from the 15th-17th centuries.
The repair and restoration works carried out returned the castle to its former appearance, Ventspils Castle now looks exactly as it did in the 19th century. Now the Ventspils Castle is the Ventspils Museum, which is a must-see. The presented composition, telling the history of the castle and the city, is developed with the help of computer technology and is the most modern in the entire Baltic States. For example, when you go down into the "cellar of ghosts" you will see a black pig running past, in the exhibition called "prison" you will hear the moans of the prisoners. In the courtyard of the castle are often held various mass events, theatrical productions, and you can also to shoot with a real bow.
