Initially, the repair work was planned to cost €900,000, but in the course of the work, more damage was discovered and the amount rose to €1.3 million. The restoration work also brought some surprises, however: hitherto unknown evidence of the castle's history was uncovered.
The roof and the facade on the south side of the castle were completely damaged, and windows were smashed in the devastating storm on August 7 last year. Now the storm damage has been repaired.
"You can see here how many beams have been replaced and you can also see that sun doesn't shine through the roof now, unlike after the hailstorm on August 7, when everything was like a sieve," said Kristīne Liepiņa, the manager of Jaunpils Castle.
There was more work to be done than originally thought. During the restoration of the roof, it was discovered that the chapel tower of the castle had also been damaged, and that the roof beams had rusted away and most of the beams had to be replaced. This, in turn, created another problem. In the hotel rooms below, the plasterwork on the ceilings had crumbled away.
"Definitely the biggest [job] was this turret, because it is high up and you have to preserve the historical materials, the historical approach in the restoration work, and the second biggest challenge was definitely the ceiling beams that were replaced, which in turn damaged the third floor of the palace," Liepiņa said.
The restoration of the castle started in December last year and is now expected to be fully completed by the end of August. According to the renovators, the restoration work has been very complex.
Previously unplanned works have increased costs by around €300,000. The Tukums municipality covered the costs, and donors also came to the rescue.
But while waiting for these works to be completed, plans are already underway for the next ones - the intention is to continue restoring the facade and other structures that were previously next to the castle.
During the storm damage repair works, an old rustication was also found on the facade of the castle. This shows where the oldest part of the castle is and where the previously unknown 17th-century extension begins. The rustication site has been specially highlighted so that it can be seen by all visitors.
"This ornate rustication, which is made in stucco, could roughly date from the 14th to 15th centuries, as the rest of the east wing was only added in the 17th century," Liepiņa said.
Now the castle is ready to welcome visitors and party guests again every day. But in the longer term, the plan is to find the money to completely renovate the entire facade.
