Imants Lancmanis

“…a particularly valuable example: Aizupe Estate in Kurzeme is by its form an essentially different piece of native classicism. The plan and the AIZUPE ESTATE façade of the house were drawn by a well–educated hand of an artist. Everything seems to have been made a peculiar place from a single cast, clear, purposeful and aged in style…. The exterior of the house is considered to be a mature achievement of the school of classicism”. Heinz Pirang, Das baltische Herrenhaus. Part 2, R., 1928, 19 p.

The Aizupe Estate has been on a lucky streak for a long time. It is not only about the saying of Pirang that the house was lucky to be born beautiful. It also managed to withstand the cruel fortunes of all the magnificent houses in Latvia. It seems unbelievable that the Aizupe Estate with all of the furnishings managed to carry over without the devastating consequences not only the Revolution of 1905, not only the World War I and Courtyard facade. Photo of the early 20th century. the confusion of the Civil War, but its most severe ordeal, the agrarian reform of 1920. Actually, this was not an ordeal but a total and finite collapse of the system and the culture of the manors. Even in a case when the previous owners managed to retain a manor or even a palace, these were half – empty, adapted to the new living conditions and poverty. Aizupe was the only manor Heinz Pirang could write about in his essay of 1928 Das baltische Herrenhaus: “…falls within the ranks of a few manors completely saved by the war. Interior furnishings have been left mostly intact. The artistic flair and the piety of the owners held it essential to change next to nothing of importance in the furnishing of the inherited house. Each item occupied Portrait: First master of the Aizupe Portrait: First master of the entailed estate Portrait: Sophie von Hahn, Paris. the same place it did when the Estate and the builder of the Manor of Aizupe Paul von Hahn. Pierre Narcissi Gerent, 1819. Adolph Wilhelm von Hahn. Portrait by unknown painter, 1920 – ties. Union of Barons and Free Masters grandma as still alive”. As the Gotlieb Schwenke, 1773. von Hahn, Tegel Castle, Berlin. condition of the manor was Union of Barons and Free Masters described in 1930 – ties by Andre von Hahn. von Hahn: “the only thing missing is the ink in the ink – well, otherwise everything has remained the way my great grandfather and his spouse have arranged it in Aizupe”.

This miracle lived on until 1939. The house has mostly remained intact thanks to the school set up there later. And just now, in the last twenty years when it seems like there is more reason and ability to appreciate the cultural heritage, the Aizupe Estate has dwindled to an empty and demolished hull. The future years will show whether the beautiful house is destined to perish or would it be able to rise from ashes to a new life which would reflect some of the former artistic unity and the sense of style. Particularly because the Aizupe Estate has been something special. Apart from the Palace of Eleja and a few other buildings in Latvia the Aizupe Estate is the only example where the whole furnishing, the interior finish, the furniture, the paintings and the household objects, over the centuries has retained the immutable will and taste of its creator. Well, it would be more appropriate to mention two creators: Paul von Hahn and his spouse Sophie. Aizupe Estate property rights were transferred to von Hahn family in 1793. The owner of Pastende, Adolph Wilhelm von Hahn purchased it farsightedly wishing to provide in the future each of his four sons with the entailed estate.

Paul von Hahn began his life journey with the adventures which in no way bespoke of a character of a future intelligent and rational statesman, diplomat and farmer: at the age of fifteen he traveled to Russia, the studies at the Tartu University were accompanied by innumerous duels. At the age of nineteen he joined the army which at that time was fighting the Napoleon. Paul von Hahn till the end of his days could remember the incident when he having been taken as a captive of the French and having been sentenced to death penalty was saved at the last moment thanks to the magnanimity of Eugene Boame, the chivalrous adopted son of the Napoleon I who not only undertook the responsibility to cancel the sentence of the Marshal Davou but also freed the captive having presented him with 30 napoleons and the linen from his private wardrobe. Concourse of circumstances had brought also P. von Hahn on the Manor – house of the Aizupe Estate from the direction of the pond. field of the Waterloo battle; it was him who delivered the message on the victory of Photo of the early 20th century. the allied army to emperor Alexander I. The next stage in the life of Paul von Hahn was the diplomatic service which brought him to the Russian Embassy in Italy, later he served with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in St. Petersburg. In 1823 Paul von Hahn in Manheim married Sophie de Grember, the Baroness di Bello, daughter of French emigrant and Amelia von Beninghausen – Budberg. Adolph von Hahn who left for the wedding of the son has not lived to see it and died in Manheim. The heir of Aizupe traveled to Kurzeme with a young wife and a coffin with the father. The new manor in Aizupe has already been roofed, but the owners still resided in the old, one – storied building which fully reflected the practical and unassuming lifestyle of a certain portion of the nobility in Kurzeme. Sophie von Hahn who was raised in a well – groomed and highly civilized court of Baden, was forced to put together all the sense of duty, love of her husband and tolerance in order to recognize and accept the peculiarities and the virtues of Kurzeme which she got to know just recently. She felt lots of things to be completely barbarian. Memories by Sophie von Hahn reflect those first impressions: “…we were riding over a rickety bridge leading over the borderline river between Vane and Aizupe. We joined our hands affectedly Bridge over the pond. Photo of the early 20th century. and in this way, hand in hand crossed the borders of our estate for the first time.

We could see some contours of the roofs of Aizupe with the newly built stone edifice rising between them. …We turned into a birch grove which was planted by my father in law and his children. Right beside the threshing barn which together with the old bay window are the only remains of the old manor of Aizupe the road took a sharp turn and led on to a paved road…there loads of stones lay in a quagmire which still could not provide for a solid foundation. Apart from the beautiful lime – trees under which foresightedly lime pits were dug out there was nothing else to see but the construction and demolition waste around a stately living house which, it seemed, was close to being finished. One glimpse at the house was enough for the dreams of a future to skip the things going on at the moment. The house where Hahn (husband of the author, Paul von Hahn – I. L.) grew up in and which he had his most pleasant childhood associated with was completely overshadowed by a new building. Between it and the shore of the pond the carriage find its way among the stones and ruins, turned left and stopped at the door of the main entrance overshadowed by two lime – trees…. After the first sincere greetings at the old, elongated one – storied building where the wealthiest Portrait: Portrait: man in Kurzeme spent many of his years (W. A. von Hahn, father – in – law of the Second landlord of the entailed Third landlord of the entailed author – I. L.) and which was to become our temporary dwelling, we entered in. estate Aizupe Adolph von Hahn. estate Aizupe Paul von Hahn To the left of the antechamber there was a huge dining – room where a served Photo of 1870 – ties. during his studies. table waited for us. There was a timepiece which now stays in the Red Study and Photo of 1890 – ties. which at that moment stroke my first after the arrival at Aizupe. Spacious dwelling room was located next to the dining – room. Two elegant, upholstered with broadcloth sofas with bronze legs brought from St. Petersburg contrasted with the simplicity of other furniture…. The walls were decorated with some copper engravings, and a large number of views of England and Scotland in the ebony frames purported an i nterest by which the parents followed upon the travels of their son in the Great Britain. This same sequence of the rooms also included the bed – room the wall of which was shadowed by a huge lime – tree. Apart from the bed, some comfortable writing – table as well as a dressing – table from the mahogany with the mirror indicated that the extremely modest manor has not lost some of its disposition to the elegance. The rooms facing the garden now served as the drawing – rooms for the ladies. The walls were bleached, and the curtains and the carpets belong to that category of the interior not to be found anywhere else in Kurzeme. All of this created an impression of a great unpretentiousness, though at the same time were cozy and comfortable, at least this is how I felt”.

Sophie von Hahn was highly appalled by the barrel of leaven from which with the help of the ladle one could ladle out both the lady of the house and the servants; extreme narrowness and dirt in the rooms of the house servants, the primitive kitchen where the cook commissioned from Strasbourg fell into total desperation, the fact that the young male and female servants lived in a common room and a variety of other weird things which were natural in the semi – feudal, patriarchal, filled with ancient traditions Kurzeme where the serfdom was abolished only five years ago.

The letter to mother, written on August 28, 1823, upon five days after the arrival at Aizupe, reflects the hopes of Sophie which she laid on the newly erected building: “… we have taken a good look around a new house with the lots of works going on. No, mom, it is simply impossible to find anything more beautiful and with a better location! We have already unpacked the bronze items foreseen as the decorations of the rooms: the one is more magnificent than the other. I cannot stop but to admire the taste of Paul and particularly his care, his attention to the smallest of details to decorate the rooms for his Sophie (the writer – I. L.). The house is situated just perfectly, surrounded by the fruit garden, the English park and an amazing pond. You see, mom, these are the constituent parts that, when put together, are capable of creating an excellent ensemble”. The cares for the completion and arrangement of the new manor house were thwarted by a new turn in the career of Paul von Hahn. The benevolence of Alexander I made him the civil governor of Kurzeme. In later years he and his spouse lived in the Jelgava Palace and managed to visit the Aizupe Estate very rarely. Paul von Hahn’s adherence to principles in the new position caused trouble with the local civil servants whose Aizupe Estate . Photo of 2007. financial fraud he was trying to disclose. Intrigues and slander followed, and afterwards: a scrupulous distress of the governor’s property. Only a long – term stay with the court of St. Petersburg had allowed Paul von Hahn to restore the benevolence of the emperor and become a civil governor once again, this time in Vidzeme. The final point of his career was the title of the secret advisor, the highest in the list of civil ranking of Russia, the office of the senator and the member of the State Council. In 1839 he was conferred the title of the honorary doctor of the Heidelberg University. In 1825 Sophie von Hahn mentions that the old dwelling house in Aizupe had been demolished, and the new house may already be occupied although it still remains “completely without decorations”. Still, in 1830, when leaving for the regular travels, she gave instructions on the “full completion and the improvement of the house”. The masters of Aizupe are recalled in the memory of the grandson of the pastor of Vane, P. Zeberg, who describes the celebration of the summer solstice in Aizupe where he went with his grandfather: “… a gentle lady is greeting him. Her pronunciation betrays a foreigner. A particular charm animates her features full of spirituality, the thick black hair and big dark eyes emphasize her face in a special way. Although of medium height, she has a royal gait and posture.

Not least eminent was standing next to her husband, Baron Paul von Hahn who after various educational pursues and travels, after high offices in the land administration had returned back to the manor of his grandfathers to commit himself with the inherent competence and energy to the raising of the farming and the improving of the condition of the peasants. The face of the baron showed delicacy and unambiguous resolution. A big scar above the eye reminded him of the years as the student when he enjoyed all the academic freedoms in full, luckily enough without losing there his strength and core”. The living house which was so acclaimed by Heinz Pirang still was not built according to the plans of Paul von Hahn, the construction of which was started by his father at around 1820. Adolph Wilhelm von Hahn made a cautious choice. At that time Kurzeme already knew the most sophisticated type of the manor – house: with the column portico, the round dome hall which from the times of the construction of the manors of Kazdanga, Eleja and Mezhotne as the example had excited the minds of many residents of Kurzeme.

Practical Adolph Wilhelm von Hahn was different, who, despite of his European world view and the experience of living in the court, did not like superfluous trumpery. In the new house he allowed himself to introduce just a few distinct elements of fashion, discreet indications on the building forms being favorite at the time. Instead of columns the pilasters were used in Aizupe, and instead all almost obligatory three – dimensional Palladio windows simple semicircular windows were mounted and only in the frontal facades. The building was finished by the pyramidal roof which embodied the traditional image of a country estate becoming traditional from the times of the baroque. Planning of the interior space, first of all, was very practical, and some representative requirements were taken into account only in the second place. The main doors led to a narrow vestibule, two columns of which conferred the room a certain solemnity by opening the entry into the hall. This pair of columns in the vestibule and others in the dining – room are the only elements of the monumental classicism inside the house though the finishing and the layout of the rooms were the contribution of Paul and Sophie von Hahn. Sculptural décor has not been foreseen anywhere: the location of the chandelier fastening in each room on the ceiling is indicated by a profiled circle, and only the corners of the ceiling in the hall as small ornaments inlaid and so coarsely that it is obvious right away to be a work of some local country craftsman. The hall is simple. Neither the walls nor the ceiling, but the furniture and the paintings in accordance with the household culture of Biedermeier were the material shaping the interior. Both in the hall and in other rooms most of the furniture was of that of Biedermeier mahogany. The hall was illuminated by t wo chandeliers which reminded huge bronze church – chandeliers of the Russian empire style though actually were made of papier – mache. In 1939 the chandeliers were handed over to the church in Kabile from the attic of which they ended up in the museum of the Rundale Palace. The hall also had the family relic, the bell produced in 1600 with the inscriptions in French language which was the dowry of Sophie von Hahn. In 1939 the last owner presented it as a gift to the Vane Church where the bell remains to this day. Until the compulsory emigration a beautiful portrait of Sophie von Hahn was hanging in the hall, but now as a piece taken for a temporary storage by the Union of the Barons and Free Masters von Hahn stays in the Tegel Palace, Berlin. If one is to trust the reminiscences of P. Zeberg, right there in the hall was the allegorical painting which the Kurzeme painter Johann Laberecht Egink painted in 1824 in Rome portraying Tsar Alexander I who had abolished the serfdom in Kurzeme. During the construction of the house a lot of attention had been paid to the parquet flooring with the several ornamental sets. Particularly interesting was the parquet in the study where the diamond elements had been placed in a radial composition. A portion of the The hall. Photo of 1924. ancient floor managed to withstand countless footfalls of the students in the technical school and has been preserved to the present day.

Paul von Hahn and his spouse was destined tom spend quite a long life together in Aizupe: he died in 1862 in Manheim, the same town, his father died earlier; Sophie followed her husband one year later. Thus, they both had managed not only create the living environment for their house, but also supplement it guided by the latest fashion trends. The photos of the Aizupe interior show that some individual pieces of furniture had appeared in the manor only in the middle of the 19th century, in some places changing the outlived empire style and the Biedermeier style with the historical style of an earlier period. The solid neo baroque table and chairs in the dining – room demonstrate this exact stage of early neo styles, when the craving for the paintings and the romantic ancient items was expressed not into the exact copies of the previous centuries, but the approximate fantasies on the topic of the relevant style. Really ancient items had been rehabilitated which the Biedermeister with his intolerance put in the antechambers or the attics of the manors. Not without reason the photos of the same recess of the dining sideboard show the baroque cupboard of 18th The hall. Photo of 1924. century and the travel trunk decorated with the baroque iron engraving at the window. For its part the Red saloon or the Sofa room by its name create this saturated, slightly exotic mood which is caused by the red background of the walls itself supplemented by the speckled furniture clothing, variety of pictures, romantic sculptures depicting the images brought up by the fantasies of Shakespeare, Dante, Torcvato Tasso and other literary titans. The Hahn couple has gathered a huge library of more than 20 thousand volumes. The library occupied a prolonged space which followed the Red room, but the books also lay in the study of the master, the saloons, just everywhere. The walls of the hall of the second floor along its whole perimeter were densely equipped with the bookcases interrupted only by the doors. From the library one could get into the big bedroom located in the south – eastern side of the house. It was followed by the room of the landlady, the saloon and from there one could get back to the vestibule once again. When moving from the central hall into the opposite direction, we find ourselves into the Tea room, a small saloon, which served as the place for The Red saloon (the Sofa room). Photo of 1924. small meals and the passage to the dining – room. The dining – room was the room which complied with the traditions of the early 19th century; those traditions under the influence of the English fashion saw the meal as the solemn ritual. The most favourite component of the dining – rooms of that time was the niche of the buffet which was usually divided by the columns. Separate doors leading to the kitchen allowed to bring the meals into the room unnoticed and put them on the buffet before being served on the table. The most exquisite embodiment of this idea in Latvia was the dining – room of the Mezhotne Palace where two pairs of the columns divide both ends of the hall. As in all the manors of the practical von Hahn family, Aizupe was a solid complex of the outbuildings which formed a closed quadrangle, - apart from the two two – storied buildings which were occupied by the manager of the manor and the inhabitants of the manor, there were also barns, cattle – sheds, stables, carriage yard and warehouses. Some distance apart: three servant houses, distillery and bull – pen, chemist’s house and the burgomaster’s house, forge and the workshops of the artisans.

Son of Paul and Sophie von Hahn, Adolph (1824 – 1882) received huge, well – kept manor and fully completed house. Having been extremely frugal and despotic, he still managed to achieve a lot in the household affairs to improve the living of the peasants and the life of the whole parish as well as the school. Exactly this had helped his son, Paul von Hahn The Tea room. Photo of 1924.

(1863 – 1931) during the agrarian reform of 1920 – ties in Latvia to save the centre and the park of the manor out of the total 8210 hectares of the Aizupe Estate as the inalienable or entailed share. Baron Paul von Hahn died in 1931, and the inalienable share of the estate was inherited by his nephew Andre (1905 – 1979). А. von Hahn was studying agriculture in Hungary where he managed the estate of the count Papenheim Buyaka and even accepted the Hungarian nationality. Due to this he had had to register officially the centre of the Aizupe Estate on behalf of his relative, Baron Brato von Kleist. Only in 1937 Andre von Hahn arrived in Aizupe for the first time. In 1939, during the resettlement of the Baltic Germans the manor of Aizupe was liquidated; the library and the archive of Aizupe perished. Baron Andre von Hahn died in faraway Zimbabwe where he went after the World War II. In 1939 the vacant Aizupe Estate was occupied by the forestry school. In 1945 the school was transformed into the forestry technical school of Aizupe and in 1940 – ties became a significant centre for the forestry education, the favorite place of practice for several generations of the Latvian professionals. Thus, at least, the house was preserved although it had to bring in absurd notions of that time concerning the beautiful and effective, thus, for example, the hall was connected with the Red saloon and the walls were trimmed with the wooden laths. The Dining-room. Photo of 1924.

The decision passed in 1985 on the transfer of the technical school to Ogre turned out to be fatal for the Aizupe Estate. The forlorn building could not be taken care of by neither forest industry management of Talsi nor Tukums who owned it by turns. The hopes to restore the centre to the former life brought the plans of the German company GUT Agrar GmbH to develop in Aizupe the centre for the education, instruction and qualification of the companies in the fields of agriculture, gardening and crafts. Unfortunately, the idea failed, as did the previous concept of developing a recreational centre in Aizupe in cooperation with the Chinese investors. Later the Aizupe Estate was transferred into the private ownership. In 1999 the Inspection for the protection of the monuments of culture issued a permit on the implementation of the conservation works. Despite all of this, the house remains in a condition it has been, overgrown by dense vegetation which conquered once so carefully groomed park with the area of 14 hectares. The distillery ruins lie in vicinity. Devastation. We will have an opportunity to see whether the house is destined to full degradation and collapse or maybe, it will be possible to restore at least some of its previous glory.

The Workroom. Photo of 1924.

Thanks for the genealogical information, photos and all kinds of references expressed to the keeper of the photo archive of the Kurzeme chivalry, Mr. Klaas Lakshevitz in Herishreid (Germany), the Union of the Baron and Free Masters von Hahn, the Herder Institute in Marburg (Germany) which holds the archive of the photo negatives of F. von Wolfe on the architecture of the Latvian manors, the Department of the manuscripts and rare books of the Latvian Academic Library, the Latvian Museum of History.

Picture sources. Author’s photos – 1, 3, 10, 11, 17, 20. Herder’s Institute in Marburg – 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19. Photo archive of the Kurzeme Chivalry – 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, Union of the Baron and Free masters Families von Hahn – 8, Latvian Academic Library – 2, Latvian Museum of History – 9.

Sources. Memories of Sophie von Hahn – Latvian State Historical Archive (LVVA), Fund 2344, Description 2, File 10; Division of the Aizupe Estate during the agrarian reform – LVVA, Fund 1679, Description 172, File 1587; Lebenserinnerungan und Aufzeichnungen bis 1946 von Baron Andre v. Hahn- Asuppen – Union of the Baron and the Free Masters of von Hahn; files of the Centre of the documentation of the State Inspection of the Protection of the Historic Monuments; files of the Scientific Archive, Museum of the Rundale Palace.