The Jelgava Palace

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The Museum has been in the Palace since 1968. In the history exposition of the Palace the visitors can learn about the history of the Livonian castle (built in the 14th century) and the building history of the existing Palace and find out what has been done in the field of its historical research and preservation. In the Silver and Golden Halls of the Museum of the Latvia University of Agriculture visitors can get acquainted with the exposition which is dedicated to the history of higher agricultural education in Latvia. The family vault of the Courland Dukes is located in the basement of the Palace. 24 members of the Kettler dynasty and six members of the Biron dynasty are buried there. In 1973 the Rundale Palace Museum started the inventory and restoration of the sepulchre and in the summer of 1992 the crypt was opened to visitors. An important event for the Museum of Latvia University of Agriculture was the conference "Lost-Existing-Preserved" with the participation of famous historians and archaeologists, which was arranged in 2008 and dedicated to the archeological research of the Jelgava Palace. The Jelgava Palace Park developed after 1816, when the north wing of the palace was burnt down. During the reconstruction work, the governor Valujevs ordered the last6 remains of the palace was to be taken down and laid out a lawn in its place. In 1829 the whole area was elevated to protect the palace from floods. The palace channel includes the so-called Governor's Island which before the World War I was the governor's private rest place not accessible to the public. During 30's of the 20th century there were many outdoor concerts and the city government took care of the park's maintenance. The palace park, currently taken care by the LLU, makes an impressive contribution to the beauty of the Jelgava Palace.