Archaeologia Baltica

This paper presents briefly the history of the Nurmuiža estate and its owners, and summarises the results of the 2008 and 2009 archaeological investigations. Nurmuiža belonged to the von Fircks, one of the most influential families of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia. The influential positions the family held since the 16th century demanded a certain standard of presentation. The visually impressive Nurmuiža estate served this purpose well. The family’s status was also shown by its settled standard of living. The way of life on the estate has so far been deduced from written and iconographic sources. The aim of this paper is to look at the 16th to 19th-century luxury lifestyle at Nurmuiža through the most interesting archaeological finds from two seasons of excavations.