Koluvere Lode

Koluvere, or Lode, began as a vassal castle of the Lode family that the bishops of Ösel-Wiek later expanded into a powerful stronghold; its surviving main building dates from Bishop Winrich von Kniprode’s time (1383–1419). It changed hands repeatedly in the Livonian War, and in the 1700s it was reshaped to look more like a palace. In 1787 Catherine the Great sent Princess Augusta of Württemberg here as a prisoner, and she died a year later in mysterious circumstances.

Built / first recorded

1300s–1400s

Style

Gothic episcopal castle

Condition

Standing

County

Lääne County · Lääne-Nigula

German name

Lode

Owners

• Saare-Lääne piiskopkond14. saj–1559
• von Löwen1771
• Grigori Orlov1771
• von Buxhoeveden1797–1919

Good to know

• Bishop Reinhold von Buxhövden lived here until his death in 1557; his carved coat of arms is on the convent wall.
• In January 1573 the Battle of Koluvere was fought nearby between Swedish mercenaries and Muscovite troops.
• Princess Augusta was buried in Kullamaa church.

Photos through time

Nearby