Imants Lancmanis, a Doctor of Art History and a long-standing director of the Rundāle Palace, renowned for his expertise in heraldry, art restoration, architectural preservation, author of several books and paintings, will deliver his lecture titled “The Courtly Splendour of the Kettler Duke Dynasty of Courland” at the Liepāja 17th-19th Century Interior Museum “Madame Hoyer's Guest House” on 24 Kungu Street, scheduled for Friday, May 10th, at 15:00.
Liepāja’s rich heritage, dating back to the granting of city rights by Duke Friedrich of Courland and Semigallia on 18 March 1625, serves as a pivotal backdrop in the town's development. As part of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, Liepāja flourished under the governance of the dukes, who shaped the city's economic, social, and administrative landscape, appointing the town hall officials and approving the town's ordinances or so-called police regulations.
The historical significance of 24 Kungu Street building, now home to the Liepāja Interior Museum, lies in fact, that it is also part of the Duchy's history, being built in the 17th century and most known for accommodating the Russian Tsar Peter the Great during his European travels in 1697, underscoring its importance within Courland's cultural chest. At the request of the mistress of the house, Margaretha Hoyer, the Duke of Courland and Semigallia, Friedrich Casimir, covered the board and lodging expenses of the distinguished guests in the amount of 653 guilders and 4 1/2 groshi.
Lancmanis’s lecture will offer insights into the courtly life of the Kettler dukes, examining portraits, sarcophagi in the Ducal tombs in Jelgava Palace, documents, furnishings, and artifacts associated with their reign and indicating a high standard of representation and luxury, not far below the level of the residences of the rulers of northern Europe at that time. Drawing from inventories of Kuldīga Palace from 1653, 1656 and 1699, following the analogies with contemporary northern European residences in Germany and Sweden, Lancmanis will provide a comprehensive understanding of Courland's architectural and cultural heritage.
Imants Lancmanis mentions that the history of Kettler dynasty did have the resurgence of interest, particularly during the 1930s, when Latvian head of state Kārlis Ulmanis recognized its significance as a precursor to Latvian independence, having even a Latinised term coined for the Dukes of Courland – “Kurzemes lielkungi” (The Lords of Courland). "Ulmanis was very correct in his interpretation that the Duchy of Courland was a kind of proto form of Latvian independence. The dukes were Germans, but they all spoke Latvian well, they were all focused on setting up the Latvian life of their subjects. It is no coincidence that in the 1930s Ulmanis had portraits of all the Dukes of Courland collected in his residence at the Rīga Castle, some of which are now in the Rundāle Palace,” says Lancmanis.
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