History
Ventspils castle was built in the second half of the 13th century, and controlled by the Livonian Order until the mid-16th century. As a part of the Duchy of Courland, the castle was the residence of the city master, but during the Polish-Swedish War it was destroyed.
After reconstruction in 1650, the chapel became a Lutheran church (1706–1835) and later a Russian Orthodox church (1845–1901), but the rest of the castle remained largely unused. In 1832 the 3rd floor was converted into a prison, which closed in 1959. After World War II, the castle was used for various administrative purposes, and occupied by the Soviet Army border patrol until the 1980s.
In 1997, the castle was restored, and in 2001 the permanent exhibition of the Ventspils museum opened in the tower. Today the castle hosts concerts and art exhibitions as well.
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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