Auction – The New Castle of Gaujiena

"Gaujiena New Palace", Smiltene Municipality, Gaujiena Parish

Financial Terms

• Estimated price: 141 000 euros

• Starting price: 141 000 euros

• Bidding increment: 500 euros

• Security deposit: 10 % of the estimated price (14 100 euros)

Property Data

• Located in Smiltene Municipality, Gaujiena Parish, Gaujiena, “Gaujiena New Castle”, cadastral designation 3648 005 0328.
• Total area: 1.6524 ha. Building (barn): 112.7 m². Building (school): 2028.0 m². Building (cellar): 86.6 m².

Auction Details

• Auction period: November 12, 2025 till December 12, 2025

• Platform: Electronic auction website – https://izsoles.ta.gov.lv

• Organizer: Smiltene Municipality

Main Obligations for the Buyer

Public Access Requirement

• The palace grounds must be made accessible to the public at least 4 times per month, for 6 consecutive hours each time.

• Interior access is not required.

Development Commitments

• Within 2 years: Slope stabilization of the palace hill (a technical project has already been prepared)

• Within 3 years: Restoration of the palace façade

• Within 5 years: At least 1 000 000 euros must be invested into the property

Encumbrances

• All development commitments (slope, façade, investments) will be registered in the Land Register as encumbrances and will be binding for future owners as well.

• The land parcel is subject to various protection zones and easements, including:

  • Cultural monument protection zone

  • Power line easements

  • Road protection zones

  • Landscape protection areas, etc.

Right of Repurchase

If the above development commitments are not fulfilled within the specified deadlines, the municipality has the right to repurchase the property for 100 000 euros, without compensating the buyer for any investments made.

The Municipality of Smiltene respectfully invites you to consider a unique investment opportunity — the development of the historic Gaujiena Manor complex, located in one of the most picturesque and culturally and historically significant sites in Latvia — on the banks of the Gauja River.

The municipality is offering:

• Gaujiena New Palace — a 19th-century historic building with a rich architectural heritage and broad potential uses (culture, hospitality, recreation, etc.);
• an ice cellar and a barn — additional outbuildings for utility purposes;
• a land parcel of 1.65 hectares.

Opportunities for cooperation with the municipality:

• Possibility to expand the property footprint — at the investor’s request, adjacent buildings of the manor complex may be added;
• Addition of further land to ensure the property directly borders the Gauja River, thereby significantly increasing development potential both scenically and commercially;
• Support for property development — possibility to establish a public–private partnership during the project development phase, for example for infrastructure improvements, access roads, lighting, or utility networks (depending on project scale).

Municipality’s long-term investment and commitment:

• Maintenance and enhancement of the park area — the municipality undertakes to maintain the remaining portion of the manor park to a high scenic and technical standard, thereby preserving the cultural-historical environment;
• Extensive cultural programme — we will continue to organize cultural events that attract visitors from across Latvia and beyond, thereby generating visitor flow to the property developed by the investor.

Potential benefits for the investor:

• A high value-added real estate asset with potential to become a tourism, cultural, or hospitality hub;
• Access to EU co-financed project opportunities, particularly in culture, tourism and entrepreneurship (the municipality can assist in preparing and supporting project applications);
• A cooperative partnership with the municipality, including possible flexibility on tax and administrative procedures within the framework of attracting investment and achieving long-term development goals;
• Opportunity to form strategic partnerships, developing both private business and public infrastructure (for example, outdoor environmental education, artist residency programmes, or health promotion initiatives).

We greatly appreciate your interest and believe that, through joint effort, the Gaujiena Manor complex can be restored into an outstanding example of the sustainable integration of historic heritage and contemporary needs.

We are ready to meet to discuss potential cooperation opportunities in detail and to tailor the proposal to your vision.

• After 1702, Gaujiena came under Russian rule. During the land reduction, the estates were confiscated, and everything belonged to the state.
• In 1745, the entire Gaujiena complex was gifted to the Schleswig-Holstein court marshal, Baron Bernhard Reinhold von Delvig.
• Baron Delvig had four sons, very energetic and talented men, but highly eccentric and wasteful. In 1780, the old marshal died, and the property was divided among three sons, as the eldest, Thur Karl, had entered service in Russia.
• In 1818, Adolf von Wulff acquired Gaujiena Manor.
• Around 1830, the manor house was built, and in 1838, an apartment and utility building for the estate workers was erected, featuring a driveway leading to the second floor. The southern wing of the building was adapted in 1886 for the needs of the Gaujiena Volunteer Firefighters’ Society, founded by von Wulff.
• In 1850, a new palace was constructed in the Classical style, with 52 rooms – featuring columns, walls decorated with gables and pilasters, ceiling paintings, and parquet floors. The steps of the palace’s main entrance are guarded by two reclining lions.
• Construction of the palace was completed by Baron Julius von Wulff, who was known for his great sense of humor. He considered Atzeli (Gaujiena) to be the center of Europe, and therefore named nearby farmsteads after major European cities – Berlin, London, Wiesbaden, Paris, and others.
• On September 7, 1872, the embalmed remains of Gaujiena’s owner, Julius von Wulff, who had been shot in Wiesbaden, were buried in the chapel (recently built and consecrated). The chapel was erected by Julius’s wife, Charlotte von Wulff. Later, other members of the von Wulff family were also buried there.
• The manor ensemble also included a brewery, brewmaster’s house, gardener’s house, greenhouse, ice cellar, stables, and the stable master–coachman’s house.
• In Gaujiena, on the right bank of the Gauja River, there are many springs, the most notable being at “Anniņas” (the former estate brewmaster’s house). Old residents of Gaujiena say this spring was once a sacred site for ancient Latvians. Around 1850, Baron Julius von Wulff had the spring encased in dolomite stone within a special chamber, and at the outlet he placed a lion’s head with an open mouth through which the water flowed. Since then, this ancient Latvian sacred spring has been called the “Lion’s Mouth.” The water is exceptionally clear, pure, and tasty. For centuries, the people of Gaujiena have drunk from this spring, which has given them strength, health, wisdom, and inspiration for noble deeds.
• In 1918, with the restoration of Latvia’s independence, the von Wulff family left Gaujiena and went to Germany.
• Today, the manor belongs to the Smiltene Municipality and is not intensively inhabited.

• The Architectural Complex of Gaujiena Manor (2748);
• Atzele Hillfort and Medieval Castle Ruins in Gaujiena (2739);
• New castle (2749);
• Manor House (2750);
• Gardener's House, later a Spirit Warehouse (2751);
• Stables and Stablemaster's House (2752);
• Kūts, vēlāk ugunsdzēsēju māja (2753);
• Barn, later a Firehouse (2754);
• Threshing Barn (2755);
• Ruins of the Warehouse (Wine Cellars) (2756);
• Granary (2757);
• Ice Cellar (2758);
• Park (2759);
• Lion's Mouth" Spring (2760); 
• Pump House (2761);
• The Architectural Complex of Zvārtava Manor (2762);
• Jāzeps Vītols Memorial Museum “Anniņas” and Park;
• Zvārtava Windmill.

Natural values of Gaujiena

• Kalamecu – Markuzu ravines;
• Nature Reserve “Gaujienas priedes”;
• Church Hill in Gaujiena;
• Gaujienas nature trail;
• Gaujienas Manor trail;
• Canoeing in river Gauja;
• Zvārtavas lake;
• Alkšņupīte, where karst sinkholes, also known as swallow holes, can be observed;
• Gaujiena 'Anniņu' Bat Cellars; 
• Gaujiena – A place with a magnetic aura in a protected landscape area.