CASTLE BĪRIŅI

In the ^16th century, during the Livonian War between Poland and the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible, the German baron Johan Biring succeeded in driving Ivan's army out. For his victories, the Polish-Lithuanian king gave him the estate of Kolcene, which today bears the name of Baron Biring. In the ^18th century, the estate was bought by a Swedish baron, and a new castle was built in the Swedish Baroque style. In the ^19th century, neo-Gothic elements were added to the building and the main entrance was redesigned in Renaissance style.