Bauskas castle

The castle stands on the narrow peninsula at the confluence of the rivers Mūša and Mēmele where they form the Lielupe river. In ancient times, the hill was the site of a Semigallian fortress. The first stone buildings were established between 1443 and 1450 by the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Knights and construction continued till the end of the 16th century. The old section of the castle featured a great watch tower, 3.5 meter thick walls, a prison under the tower, a garrison and a drawbridge at the gates. The castle was intended to protect the border with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and to control the trade route from Lithuania to Riga. In a treaty of alliance in 1559, the Livonian Order passed sovereignty of the town and the castle to Poland.In 1706, during the Great Northern War, both castle and palace were blown up by the retreating Russians and left unrestored. More than 150 years later, in 1874, Prince Paul von Lieven purchased the ruins and began their restoration.

Source: Wikivoyage, „Bauska“ · authors per page history · CC BY-SA 4.0