Country estate "IMANTAS" was built in XVII century by baron fon Hanenfeld. Today it is being reconstructed. The property consists of two buildings and a plot of 2,4 ha. The area of the main building is 1540 m2, and the second building is 260 m2. The whole area will increase to 2400 m2 after the reconstruction. The estate is a historical heritage. There is a technical project, legally approved by local Building authority and by Inspection for Heritage Protection, that allows reconstruction of the estate into a living house, a guesthouse, a hotel, or a boarding house. At present, main complex recovery work is being finished.
Part of the premises were restored, several rooms may have left with smoothing or buffing. All basic materials are available to finish the work. Service lines were installed: 3-phase electricity, a 100 m deep water well with water supply up to 10 m3 per hour, water treatment facilities with clean water flow up to 5-8 m3 per hour, sewage system of 20 m3 the septic tanks with biological purification and filtering.
A full set of conveniences is available inside the building: electricity, toilet, shower stall, fireplaces for heating, hot water, TV installed. There is a reinforced access road for a freight transport. For more details you can view them photos in the Gallery.
A short historical reference: as any other place, IMANTAS Estate has its own story. These walls have survived more than a single historical event, and they stood still until our days, telling and reminding us of a different times and customs.
You can find the first mentioning of The IMANTAS Estate in the historical papers of XIV century. In 1226 the bishop Biskop sent his deputy-liegeman Johan Ungern-Shternberg to the area in the mouth of a river Sissegale. This privilege was granted to Ungern-Shternberg because of his marriage of the bishop`s close friend`s daughter. According to the records, this was the first vassal in these lands who had the power to collect tribute and to rule over the peasants. In 1250 Ungern-Shternberg has received a permission to build a church on the river bank, on the burial place of his wife's sister named Magdalena. The locals called this new church a "Saint Magdalena`s Church", and the whole land around got its name of Madliena region. Later, as history tells us, in 1346 Henning Ungerns has sold the estate on the Sissegale bank, along with the Shvirgalen village, to his nephew. Again there is a record of an owner change in 1438, on the November 16th in Limbazi, Hanss von Dolen announces selling his property the estate near Madliena church to Riga Catholic parish. Since then, the region gains the status of a parish ("draudze" in Latvian). Along with that there is a possibility now to sell properties here freely, not only to one`s relatives or by right of succession.
There are no mentioning of IMANTAS Estate for the next 160 years. And only in 1600-1601, when Swedish troops entered Vidzeme, the estate shows again in the chronicles. And now it is a tragic turn for this land. "There was a ferocious battle between the Swedes and the Poles, who inhabited Madliena parish at that time. The parish elders still tell the stories of a fierce fighting at the King`s bridge, by the linden-trees of the IMANTAS Estate. There, where two kings met, the bitter fighting broke out." (A.Mezaks, "The past and the present of Madliena-Mengele parish", 1938, p.25)
In 1680 the Swedish Seim decided to reduce the number of estates to improve the financial situation in the country. This applied to Vidzeme from 1682 to 1687. IMANTAS Estate remained in a private property. In the same time in the town of Madliena the reconstruction of a church takes place. It was almost completely destroyed during the years of Swedish-Pole battles. Every estate in the parish provides help, including The Madliena Large one; offers food and financial support. Due to the grave damage to the church the services could not be held there, and the local townsfolk had decided to make a temporary chapel inside IMANTAS Estate by themselves. For this purpose the previous wooden building has been rebuilt in stone. The entire left wing was built at this time. The boulders for the building were gathered all over the neighbourhood; the rocks were brought to the site and then horses lifted them up the embankment. The embankments rose up higher and higher, so did the walls. After finishing the construction the temporary church was situated in the left wind. The chapel still remained there in baron von Hanenfeld`s time.
In 1687 there was a first land and property estimation carried out. This was necessary to evaluate state taxes and requisitions from each property lot.
In 1700 The Great Northern War started, marking the most dramatic and difficult time for Madliena region. The town of Madliena was almost completely burned and pillaged. From 1708 to 1709 81% of IMANTAS Estate inhabitants were killed, and that was 187 people. By 1724 the Estate was partially destroyed.
The next records of the Estate are only dated 1779. One of the first schools opened in the building. At first, there were very few pupils, and they were studying in the left wing. By 1864 education starts playing more significant role in peoples` life, and they start learning writing and reading much more willingly. The number of pupils grows. At this time the German baron von Hanenfeld was the owner of the Estate. 1834 is the crucial point of IMANTAS Estate history, because at this time, with the patronage and help of Vidzeme Brotherhood Parish, the Estate changes owner by force. And this exactly is the point when von Hanenfeld`s name appears in the books. Since baron lived permanently in his another estate in Suntazi, he was not involved much in keeping the IMANTAS Estate. He was not supporting a school, and yet was not closing it. Parish members and local country folk maintained the building. In 1860 the number of pupils has increased so much, so parishioners by themselves had made a large reconstruction of the central part of the Estate for the needs of the school; a wooden building was rebuilt into a stone one. Thus, the school moved into a new main two-storey building. However, von Hanenfeld would not allow to build a new sports hall in 1900. The managers of the Estate changed frequently, and mow we can see that even in the times of the German baron ownership, the local townsfolk made the most contribution to the preservation and development of this place.
In the 60-ies of the 19th century serfdom at last was cancelled in Madliena. Villagers in mass numbers were receiving passports, that indicated the freedom of migration. New laws of the region appeared, a rent instead of taxes and requisitions. The first documentary confirmation of the registering IMANTAS Estate in the land registry dates 1860. The name of the owner is shown as baron fon Hanenfeld.
The Madliena school existed in the Estate until 1905. In that year, punitive troops entered Suntazi, marking another dark streak of history. The Suntazi palace was burned entirely, and baron von Hanenfeld has fled to Germany, not for long though. Soon he returned to rule his parish again, but in 1918, by the decision of a local senate, baron has lost almost all of his privileges. There was a reason the land he ruled appeared the most poor, and the numbers of disaffected villagers leaving their homeland were huge for that times.
After 1905, IMANTAS Estate was partially burned and pillaged. Approximately in 1920 a new owner appears. A.Lielmanis buys the property from baron fon Hanenfeld for a tremendous at that time sum of 1000 Lats. The new owner had the building fixed up completely, restored it after the fires and devastation. Happy times come to the Estate. Lielmanis was one of the first and principal wine merchants in Latvia. That is why he had paid a large attention to the cellars while restoring and refurbishing the building. Even now IMANTAS Estate has the authentic wine cellars that remained intact up to the present times. In 2009 most of these cellars were refurbished by a new owner.
The time for changes and new challenges came with the Second World War. In 1941 A.Lielmanis and his family had to flee from the Estate to Canada, leaving all the property in the house. The local long-livers say, he was hiding his wife`s jewelry and gold somewhere around the house, and the tableware along with the other valuables were drowned in the pond. Though, current reconstruction works were held both inside the building and outside, but nothing has been found. During the years of the war, the Estate falls into decay and ruins again. However, as there were no bombing or military operations of any kind in the territory , the Estate has maintained its historical structure. Only after a while, in 1950, the Soviet authorities had the Estate restored, for there were no any other large buildings around suitable for a school. At this time premises for 300 pupils were required. Electricity, water supply, a sewer system, and even a fire-extinguishing system were installed in the building. The right wing was rebuilt in stone and brick. The Estate gained a large number of new windows, supplying the daylight to the new classrooms. The existing pond has been cleaned so well that competitions in swimming were held there. In 1981 a large new school was built in the town, and all classes were relocated to it. But the building of the Estate has served as a living house for the teachers and their families for another 11 years.
In 1991 Latvian government announces denationalization, and in 1995 the Estate property was returned to its legal heiress a granddaughter of the merchant Lielmanis. For several years the property has been abandoned, it gradually was ruined and looted. The territory was greatly overgrown, and even driving near it you could miss this massive grand building. And so, in 2005 the Estate meets a new owner again, a businessman from Riga, who decides to give it a new life and starts a large-scale reconstruction. You can check the list of the works done in the Reconstruction part.
Madliena is a small town in Ogre area with beautiful hilly surroundings. Madliena, [1900-ies]
Madliena, [1920-ies]
Madliena district. The road from the IMANTAS Estate to Madliena, [1928]
Madliena, [1928]
Madliena, [1930-ies]
Madliena. The IMANTAS Estate, [1930-ies]
Madliena. The IMANTAS Estate, [1933]
Madliena. The IMANTAS Estate, [1950]
created with
Free WYSIWYG HTML Editor .