Jelgava Castle
Baroque castle by Rastrelli in Jelgava with limited public access but passionate staff and interesting crypt exhibits.
What customers love
- Passionate, knowledgeable staff providing personal attention
- Impressive Baroque architecture and gigantic square structure
- Duke of Courland family vault and historical exhibits
Worth noting
- Limited access due to university occupation of most building
- Unclear visitor policies and entry procedures
Best for
History enthusiasts visiting Latvia seeking 18th-century Baroque architecture and Courland dynasty heritage.
Attribute scores
Recent reviews
Visiting Jelgava Castle on a Saturday morning was a wonderful experience. The grounds were peaceful and almost empty, giving us plenty of space to explore at our own pace. Although much of the castle is closed due to its use by the university, we were able to visit the family vault of the Dukes of Courland and browse a small but interesting exhibit about the family’s history. The highlight was the gentleman working at the exhibit. He was incredibly kind, engaging, and genuinely passionate. He answered every question I had, and for anything he wasn’t certain about, he looked it up on the spot, even when it went beyond the exhibit itself. His enthusiasm made the visit feel personal and memorable.
Average castle museum experience. I really liked the crypt!
✅️ Jelgava Castle (Latvian: Jelgavas pils), known before as the Mitava Castle or Mitau Castle, is a Baroque castle in the city of Jelgava (formerly Mitau, hence the names of the castle), in Latvia. The castle was built by Bartolomeo Rastrelli and Severin Jensen in 1763–1772 as a residence for the Dukes of Courland. Rastrelli was the court architect of Russia and designed, among other things, both the Summer (Peterhof) and Winter Palaces in St. Petersburg and the Rundale Palace in southern Latvia.
Beautiful palace with an interesting history dating back to the Russian Tsar. We did not go inside, as we only made a short stop on the way to Bauska Castle.
A gigantic castle, which forms a perfect square with a square open courtyard in the middle. It’s difficult to convey the enormity of the structure from these photos - many of which were captured at 0.5x to capture the whole face. I walked right in, and it was unclear if that was ok, it seemed alright but who knows. It seemed like a college inside which was empty for winter break.