Jaunpils Castle

Jaunpils Castle is located in a very picturesque place: on three sides it is surrounded by the waters of the Mill Lake. The Jaunpils Castle was built in 1301 (although there are versions that it happened no earlier than 1345) and belonged to the Livonian Order. Now it looks almost the same as at the beginning of the 14th century. At that time it was a formidable fortress surrounded by a moat and a lake. This is one of the darkest castles in Latvia, as it is overgrown with a large number of terrible legends and legends.

The very first legend refers to the old castle of Jaunpils, located a couple of kilometers from the existing one. It was built on the Gallows Mountains, which got their name because Baron Thiss von Recke ordered to put gallows there to intimidate the peasants. According to another version, the baron, possessed by a demon, paid for his military victories, superhuman strength, the ability to walk on water and other supernatural features attributed to him with the souls of his soldiers with the help of these gallows. 

At some point, the castle fell through the ground. And now, according to legend, every New Year's Eve at midnight two ducks swim to the castle from the side of the bridge and ask the owner if the castle is ready. An old baron appears on the tower riding a black horse and replies that the castle is not ready, but it will be soon. If Rekke ever says that the construction is finished, the current castle will go underground, and the old, failed Jaunpils Castle will rise to the surface instead.