Latvian national flag removed from Bauska Castle tower for the duration of restoration work

The Bauska Castle Museum informs that, in connection with restoration work, the Latvian national flag has been removed from the central tower of the ruins of Bauska Castle. Since August 2018, the viewing platform in the central tower of the castle ruins and access to the ruins of the Livonian Order castle have also been closed.

Our national flag was raised on the tower of Bauska Castle on 12 November 1988, when the founding conference of the Bauska District branch of the Popular Front of Latvia was opened with a public rally at Bauska Hillfort. During the rally, the carmine-white-carmine flag was raised as a symbol of the national awakening.

At present, the central tower of the castle ruins and the adjoining walls are in a state of disrepair. Cavities, cracks and crumbling stones can be seen in the walls. The remains of the historic finishes—plasterwork—are on the verge of disappearing. The walls are being damaged by rainwater and snow, which accumulate inside the uncovered tower and seep through the filled-in cellars towards the steep bank of the Mēmele, causing landslides. The existing infrastructure—the stairs and viewing platform—is worn out. The tower cannot be used for cultural and educational events.

The restoration work is being carried out במסגרת the ERDF project “Preservation and Development of Significant Cultural and Historical Heritage to Improve the Cultural Tourism Offer in the Zemgale Region”.

The tower will be covered with a roof, thereby preventing precipitation from entering the tower walls and cellars. Using the external galleries, balconies and loopholes in the upper part of the central tower of the castle, visitors will be able to view the landscape of the confluence of the Mūsa and Mēmele rivers and the beginning of the Lielupe, as well as the castle ruins and the surrounding ramparts and bastions. The galleries created inside the tower will provide an opportunity to view the tower’s original masonry structures and fragments of the interior wall finishes. The roofed interior space will be suitable for theatrical performances and concerts. A digital exhibition on the construction history of the castle will be installed in the tower.

The work on the central tower of the Bauska Castle ruins is scheduled to be completed in autumn 2021, when it will be opened to visitors.