Stameriena Palace

Stameriena was rebuilt in the 1830s and again after a fire in 1905 for the von Wolff family, a palace in a mixed neo-Gothic and neo-Renaissance manner with a tower, terraces and a park with lakes. Its literary connection comes from Alexandra Wolff-Stomersee, who married Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, the Sicilian author of The Leopard; he stayed here in the 1930s, and the house holds a room devoted to that link. Restoration completed in recent years reopened the interiors, with period rooms, a hall and exhibitions on the family and the estate. An Orthodox church stands nearby. Concerts and events run in the house in summer.

What's there

• The restored palace - the towered house and its period interiors.
• The Lampedusa room - the display on the writer's connection to the house.
• The park and lakes - the grounds around the palace.
• The Orthodox church - the church close to the palace.

When to go

May to September for the park and the fullest opening; winter hours are reduced. Concerts run in summer. Weekdays are quiet.

Practical notes

Interiors are restored rather than original ensembles. The Lampedusa connection is a family link rather than a working residence of the writer. The house is remote from any city. Labelling is mainly in Latvian.

Nearby

Gulbene lies west; Aluksne is north.

Key facts