April 04, 2012
A 16th century manor property in rural Latvia, plus its 95-room mansion, has been featured in the real estate section of The New York Times.
Kukšu Manor House (Kukšu muiža), which now serves as a hotel, is located near Tukums and is on the market for EUR 2.1 million (about USD 2.8 million), according to the newspaper.
“This 17-acre property in the Latvian countryside, known as Kukšu Manor, was first mentioned in historical documents in 1530,” reporter Alison Gregor wrote in a story posted April 4. “The current owner describes the 18,000-square-foot home as having had a long, rich history of ownership. It underwent an extensive renovation in 1856, and after World War II was used by collective farmers.”
The story continues by describing the property and the mansion, but also examines the slow recovery of the Latvian real estate market, which was beaten back when the country’s economic bubble burst as part of the global recession.
The Kukšu manor opened as a hotel in 2006, according to the property’s website, www.kuksumuiza.lv.
The property is listed by Rīga-based Baltic Sotheby’s International Realty. While buying the Kukšu manor would set its new owner back a couple of million euros, it is not the most expensive real estate listed by Sotheby’s in Latvia. That honor goes to the manor house at Krimulda, near Sigulda, priced at EUR 8.5 million (about USD 11.3 million).
Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000-2012 he was editor of the website.
The Kukšu Manor House, which sits on a 17-acre property near Tukums, has been highlighted by The New York Times in a story about Latvia’s real estate market. (Photo by Baltic Sotheby’s International Realty)
