I am still indulging in the memory of the visit there in summer. Trees, fields, the valley of the Lielupe river and orchards, green meadows and peace to calm the eyes and soul. Mazmežotne Manor is a jewel, a true retreat from noise and speed and a place to rest — or to enjoy an event in one of the barns that have been turned into professional event spaces.

On top of all of these adorable features it is only minutes away from some of Latvia’s top visitor attractions — Rundāle Palace and Bauska Castle. Guests can enjoy meals at the on site restaurant, try out the traditional bath house rituals of Latvia and participate in events and seminars. Where could you find a better retreat for important brainstorming or strategy meetings.

It is a manor that has been renovated in the past few years, and it carries its long story and past. Not a story of a former grand palace but rather a story of peasants’ hard work in agriculture, of many changes and life in the countryside. It now offers beautiful guest rooms and a lot of options for outdoor activities. The manor itself is part of the little settlement that forms the complex.

There was not much left of the old buildings and the area was completely overgrown with shrubs — two world wars, collectivization time and the fluctuations of politics and economy have swept over the picturesque site and have left heavy traces.

In the reconstruction of the historical building, not only funds of the European Union have been used. It was a private family, Iveta and Aris Burkani, who bought the property in spring of 2007 and started to renovate the site.

From 2007 to 2010 the tidying work of the area which in total consists of about 15 hectares, took place and everything started with the demolition of dilapidated sheds and ruins of buildings, cleaning the trashed buildings, digging the ground to eliminate the barbed wire, felling bushes and many, many other small but significant clean-up work.

A thorough clean up work was also invested in the weed eradication and in sowing a new lawn. Little by little the planting work took shape and brought new trees, shrubs and flowers to the grounds.

Since then Mazmežotne has evolved and developed with the objective of tourism growth in the Rundāle region to foster quality and comfort for the guests.

Now the Manor complex consists of several buildings, like the Lord’s house, the large and small servant houses, 2 barns and the bath house — all of them individually situated, with a small farm museum in the former creamery and beautiful guest rooms.

Pictures and details on Magnetic Latvia website www.latvia.travel/en/accommodation/mazmezotne-manor

The website manor’s gives some more details and images about the guest rooms, the prices and everything else http://www.mazmezotne.lv/Prices

The distance from Riga, the capital, is around 70 km only, which makes for a one-hour drive.

Mazmežotne as well as Rundale Palace are located in Zemgale, the Southern region of Latvia. This part of the country is flat, which makes it different from the other regions that have both uplands and deep river valleys.

Zemgale boasts one of the most fertile grain fields in Northern Europe, something that has ensured the prosperity of the region for many successive centuries. The castles and manor houses offer an opportunity to see the remaining evidence of luxury and prosperity of

Contact:

For any requests you have or help that you require for putting together a MICE program for your clients, contact:

Ieva Gredzena, LIAA (Investment and Development Agency of Latvia) email: Ieva.Gredzena@liaa.gov.lv

Aigars Smiltans of MEETRiga, email: aigars.smiltans@liveriga.lv

Or contact me at tmf dialogue marketing, Johanna Fischer email j.fischer@tmf-dialogue.com