Edole Castle

Edole was built around 1264 for the Bishop of Courland and passed to the von Behr family in the sixteenth century, who held it until 1920 and rebuilt it in the nineteenth century in a romantic manner with battlements and a tower while keeping the medieval core, so the building combines thirteenth-century walls with later work. It burned in 1905 and was restored. It now operates as a small hotel and event venue with the interiors shown to day visitors, and it carries a set of ghost stories that the owners lean on. A park with old trees, a mill and the village church complete the setting, and Edole is deep enough into Kurzeme to be genuinely quiet.

What you actually see

• The castle - the medieval core within the nineteenth-century rebuilding.
• The interiors - the halls and rooms shown to day visitors.
• The park - the grounds and old trees around the castle.
• The village - the small Kurzeme settlement and its church.

When to go

May to September for the park and the fullest opening; the guesthouse runs year round. Events and bookings can restrict interior access. Weekdays are quiet.

Honest expectations

The castle is a working guesthouse and access to interiors depends on occupancy. Restoration is extensive. The ghost stories are marketing rather than record. The village has few facilities.

Nearby

Kuldiga lies southeast; the Kurzeme coast is west.