Once upon a time in a big city there were two families. Boy from one family fell in love with the girl from other family. So Asnate married Janis and three princesses were born – Lina, Elza Beta and Anna Ance.

Their tiny big city apartment was too small for all of them. Dad found an auction site and there was a centuries old manor house on sale. A very big and beautiful house situated on the historic carriage route from St. Petersburg to Paris. As both families have had several generations of skilled craftsman and art related members living and a lot of enthusiasm and love for history, 5 years ago the Abgunste manor became the loving home for the family of five.

The abandoned manor came with 2 cats. Both families have had pets for years and taking care of pets was considered a part of the families’ unwritten heritage, so both cats were welcomed in the family.

The Abgunste manor history dates back to 1780 when it was built by Johan Friedrich Fon Medem German nobleman and politician of the Duchy of Courland and Zemgale as hunting palace. It was later inherited by his son Christoph who married Maria – daughter of Peter Fon der Palen, General of the German-Baltic Cavalry in the Service of the Russian Empire. Governor General of Kurzeme and Piltene (1795-1796). Owner of Lieliecava, Kaucminde and Tērvete manors. So the history of Germany, Russia and Latvia is closely entangled in the place we live now. We are treasuring it by carefully renovating the place and setting up new traditions.

Our larger family consists of more than 20 people age 1 to 87 yrs and everyone has tasks to do.

Dad is supervising all the restoration works.

Mum is organizing everything and telling people how we are doing.

Grand-grandma and granny are sewing curtains and bedcovers and making tassels.

One Grandpa was taking care of the garden.

Other grandpa helps with architectural projects.

Grand-grandpa exhibited his paintings in the manor

Mum’s godmother was restoring old furniture.

Other family members helped with cleaning, moving furniture, planting flowers and trees

All together we celebrate life in a wonderful historic place and are thankful that we can live there, take care and give new life and meaning to the centuries old Abgunste manor.

Close European historic connections are continued by organizing art symposiums where ceramic artists from all over the world come together to create contemporary art object and tableware for the historic manor. We as children learn from the artists how to work with clay and also language. Grand-grandma, granny and aunt are cooking for artists, we help to serve the table and try to imagine how it was earlier when noble people of different nationalities were living there.

In all noble houses there were pets. Pets are also part of the history of our families. Today in the manor we have 10 cats and all of them are relatives. We even have a cat family tree. They bring luck and we have noble names for all of them.  Countess, Prince, Baron, King, Duke, Princess Rose, Lord Arthur, Lady Pelicita, Julie II and Cesar. Artists were invited to draw their portraits and instead of portraits’ of noble house owners we have cat portraits on the manor walls. All cats are part of the family and present history of the house who is a national heritage. We try to make them feel special and love them to the moon and back and spoil rotten. We don’t know any other historic house which is a home for 10 noble cats. Stories about them and their pictures in the historic interior are travelling all over the world.

For the three of us history and heritage is our home - part of our everyday life we gladly share with people from all over the world and we love it and treasure it. Come and visit us and our cats!