Gatartas Muiža - Manor in Latvia

Beautifully nestled in the hilly forest landscape of Livonia (Vidzeme), about 30 km south of Smiltene and 40 km east of Cesis (Wenden), lies the former Gotthardsberg (Gatartas) country estate and manor.

Gotthardsberg was originally an appertinence of the Drostenhof manor. It has existed as an independent manor only since 1805, when the sons of the lieutenant colonel and chamberlain Nikolai Christoph von Hagemeister divided the Drostenhof manor. The owner of Gotthardsberg was then his son, the district administrator August von Hagemeister. He is also considered to be the builder of the manor house, which is still preserved in its former form. 

The last owner of the von Hagemeister family was the district court assessor Voldemar von Hagemeister. He sold the estate at the end of the 19th century to Johann Adolf von Sivers, who was expropriated in 1920 in the course of the land reform.

The rather simple, elongated manor house was probably built in 1823/24, possibly on the walls of a previous building erected in the 18th century, and records an unusually lively wall division for Livonia. The diversity of the four house facades is peculiar. Baroque and classicist motifs enliven the wall surfaces of the building. 

The one-story building stands on a high plinth. The main accent is set by the two-story central risalit with a serrated band. In the center and left side of the main facade, Palladian-style windows were chosen, rather unusual for Livonian mansion architecture. 

The left terrace of the main facade was supplemented by two sculptures of lions. On the park side there was a terrace and a parterre. 

The refurbishment of the manor was started, however, it is currently at rest.

The inventory of the estate taken on the occasion of the land reform in 1920 recorded 20 outbuildings. The following buildings still belong to the estate: manor house, servant's house, clover, horse stable, barn, gardener's house and ruined ice cellar. Almost all outbuildings date back to the second half of the 19th century and were built in the architecture of rural farm buildings typical for Kurland and Livonia.

In front of the house a roundel with a fountain decorates the ensemble. On the western edge of the approximately 9-hectare property there is a large cross-shaped fish pond.

The estate is situated on a small hill overlooking the surrounding area. The area is characterized by a beautiful, distinct hilly terrain and many oak trees, which is characteristic for this part of Vidzeme (Livonia).