Brukna Manor (Latvian: Bruknas muižas pils, German: Brucken) is a manor house in the historical region of Zemgale, in Latvia.
History
The manor house of Brukna Manor was built in the third quarter of the 18th century and rebuilt in the second quarter of the 19th century. After Latvia's agrarian reform of 1920, the manor house housed an elementary school. From 1927 to 1931 it underwent repairs. In 1966 the school was closed manor house was converted into apartment building. In the Great Castle Hall was set movie stage and room for a movie mechanic.
Since 2001, the manor has been run by a non-profit organization called the Mountain Blessing Community, based on ideas of Cenacolo. Instead of medications rehabilitation is achieved through prayer and occupational therapy.
In 2011, the Mountain Blessing Community carried out a project funded by the Mortgage and Land Bank entitled "Renovation of the Renaissance Garden at Brukna Manor" and a project by European Union European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) "Simplified Renovation of Brukna Manor".
Cultural and spiritual center
The complex of Bruknas manor dates back to the 19th century and consists of a house built in the middle, two barns and a cowshed. The buildings are gradually recovering their shape and the interiors are acquiring new visitors. The park’s vegetation and flower beds form a renaissance garden. The manor is a favourite artisan meeting place where gatherings of painters and ceramists take place, as well as other events. We rent premises for banquets and other events.
In the Bauska region, the Brukna Manor is an important centre for spiritual life, culture and art. The volunteers and friends of the Blessing Community have an important role to play in developing it, and they effectively organize events for a wide audience.
Charitable concerts, artistic plenaries, children’s summer camps, retreats, and conferences all take place in the manor of Brukna. Pianist Vestards Simkus, the Latvian Radio Choir, the Latvian Academic Choir, traditional music ensembles and dance groups, Renars Kaupers, Goran Gora, Aija Andrejeva, Uģis Roze, Putnu Balle and many other performers have performed in Brukna. They are not only occasional guest artists but also trusted supporters of the community who have participated in concerts several times.
Good co-operation in organizing concerts was arranged with the Iecava Music School, the Bauska Castle Museum’s old dance group and other cultural institutions of the surrounding area. In implementing ideas for visual art, music, or spiritual activities, the community is supported by professional ceramists, painters, musicians, directors, craftsmen, and Christian organizations from all regions of Latvia and abroad.
Brukna history
Just like a vision from the Bible visitors see the Brukna Manor in a forested area at the base of a foothill. It is located just 12 kilometres from Riga on the Skaistkalne highway, and 20 kilometres from Bauska. The builders and owners of the Brukna manor prior to 1920 were the old-time German-speaking aristocrats Baron von Korffand family. In Zemgale and Kurzeme they owned several estates; one was about 20 kilometres from the Skaistkalne (Šenberga) Manor in Brukna. The Brukna Manor ensemble was built in the middle of the 18th century, but the current manor is a remodelling in the Neoclassical style that was made in the 19th century. The Brukna house is ideally located in the tranquil landscape of Zemgale. The building has not changed - only the indoor and park area was modified.
The Mountain Blessing community, by attracting funds from various European and local funds, managed to renovate the facade of the building and make other infrastructure improvements. In the lobby at the entrance to the chapel of Blessed Virgin Mary, attention is drawn to the unusual wall painting of the former inhabitants of the community - the romantic version of the antique and the present version of Bruknas Manor.
Brukna Manor garden
Brukna Manor garden is a piece of art. It is designed to not look like an impeccable, overly-perfect piece of art. The garden is alive and breathtaking. Only in Brukna can you see the early version of the European gardens - the Renaissance gardens. It does not have flowers or flowering shrubs, because cabbage, beets, carrots and herbs are growing instead, in low-lying bosquets. Their foliage and colours create an interesting interplay from spring to late autumn.
Such gardens were built by monks in the closed courtyards of the monasteries in the 15th and 16th centuries. Only many years later were vegetables and aromatic plants replaced by flowers and shrubs. The garden’s special accents are the sculptures created by the new sculptor Sandis Aispurs. A maze-meditation spot is created on the lower terrace of the garden. Its paths will be marked by a hedge that needs to grow a few more years. In the warm season, visitors to the Manor of Brukna can enjoy the fringe landscape, making themselves comfortable on the garden steps.
The Brukna Manor house interior
In the historic building of the first half of the 19th century, no historic interior was preserved. The founder of the Mountain Blessing Community, Andrejs Medins, in consultation with leading Latvian art scholars, opted for an alternative solution. It was decided not to go for authenticity, but to use a creative approach. Each piece of a public interior of Brukna Manor is created by volunteers - art students and other enthusiasts.
These are Latgale, Kurzeme, Riga young artists and groups of like-minded people. The classical furnishings of the Brukna Manor Library were made by the graduates of the Riga Crafts Secondary School, and the ceiling of the Egyptian Hall was painted by the young artists of Rezekne. For several years the talented graduates of the Latvian Academy of Art, Sandis Aispuris and Brigita Aispure, have devoted themselves to the restoration of Brukna Manor. Sandis is also the creator of the interior and exterior project for the future Brukna Church (or Apostolic Chapel). He had already shown his talent during the study of the interior of St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Catholic Church.
www.brukna.lv