85VISITORS’ CHECKLIST42 km (26 miles) SW of Rīga.
Tel 6396 2274. @ from Bauska.
# 10am–6pm daily. & 8 call
in advance for excursions and
events. 0 http://www.rundale.net
The gardens # May–Oct:
10am–7pm daily; Nov–Apr:
10am–5pm daily.LATVIAERNST JOHANN BIRON
The son of a minor
landlord, Ernst Johann
Biron was asked to leave
the academy in Königsberg
(present-day Kaliningrad in
Russia) for bad behaviour.
Failing to establish himself
in the Russian court, he
returned to Jelgava, a town
in the Zemgale region,
and became close to the
Duchess of Courland,
Anna Ivanovna. In 1730,
Anna became empress of
Russia, and three years
later Biron was appointed
Duke of Courland. After
his patron died in 1740,
Biron was sent into exile,
returning only in 1763. A
year later, Catherine II
made him duke once more
but he abdicated in 1769
in favour of his son Peter.. White Hall
This ballroom boasts
a parquet floor and
lavish stuccowork
by German sculptor
Johann Michael
Graff. The restrained
colour scheme gives
the room its name.
The Heraldic Lion, the duke’s
emblem, is placed on the
top of the gateposts.Duchess’s Boudoir
The duchess could rest and
receive visitors during the day in
her splendidly decorated
boudoir, which has now
been restored. The duchess
and other family members
lived in the west wing.Duke of Courland, Ernst
Johann Biron (1690–1772)The Oval Porcelain Cabinet,
made by Johann Michael
Graff, was designed to
exhibit exquisite artifacts.Old photos of the
Palace in Jelgava are
one of the many
exhibits displayed in
the palace complex.The exhibition of period
clothes in Room 107
mostly features items
belonging to the
duke’s family.Formal French-style gardens, re-created from the original plans