Pansija pilī — the series born at Padure Manor
You’ve already seen it on screen.
This is where “Pansija pilī” was filmed — and the rooms where the story unfolded can be yours tonight. Not a set. Not a replica. The same building, the same ceilings, the same light through the window.
The story
“Pansija pilī” (Pension in the Castle) is a 2024 Latvian period comedy based on the novel of the same name by writer Anšlavs Eglītis, written in exile in 1962 as he looked back on the summer of his youth. Set at the end of the 1920s, the story follows poet and writer Viktors Eglītis, who is awarded a Baltic-German baron’s former manor by the young Latvian state in recognition of his service — a property ravaged by war and years of upheaval. Together with his sons Anšlavs and Vidvuds and his partner Hilda Vīka, he arrives to inspect the estate and finds it in ruins: one wing occupied by a tenant who has set up a shop, the other still home to former manor servants from the baron’s era.
The family decides to restore the manor and open a guesthouse there — which becomes a meeting point for locals, ghosts of the past, visitors from the city, and the era’s intelligentsia. One summer becomes the stage for a story that also brings historical figures to life — painter Romans Suta, poet Eduards Virza, and artist Aleksandra Beļcova.
Why it matters to Padure Manor
The series was filmed in the summer of 2023 at Padure Manor and its surrounding grounds, over 50 shooting days with a crew of more than 100 film professionals on set. While the novel’s story is originally set in Inciems (Turaida parish), the filmmakers chose Padure Manor as the place to authentically recreate 1920s Latvia — without needing to rebuild a thing.
Cast
Leading roles: Gundars Āboliņš (Viktors Eglītis), Rihards Zelezņevs (Anšlavs Eglītis), Kristians Teterovskis (Vidvuds), Dana Bjorka (Hilda Vīka). Manor staff roles include Juris Strenga, Lāsma Kugrēna, Kaspars Znotiņš, Dace Eversa, and Jānis Jarāns as the enigmatic former coachman Peltmans. The tenant family is played by Guna Zariņa and Vilis Daudziņš. Supporting cast includes Olga Dreģe, Ģirts Jakovļevs, Ivars Kalniņš, Alise Dzene, Kaspars Dumburs, Artūrs Skrastiņš, Inese Kučinska, Jēkabs Reinis, Gatis Maliks, and others.
Produced by Mistrus Media in collaboration with TV3 and Go3, produced by Inese Boka-Grūbe and Gints Grūbe, written by Tabita Rudzāte and Ivo Briedis, directed by Andis Mizišs, Marta Elīna Martinsone, and Dāvis Sīmanis (the eighth, documentary episode directed by Gints Grūbe, covering the Eglītis family’s own fate and the historic Inciems manor).
Reception
The premiere took place on 22 January 2024 at the Splendid Palace cinema, and within the first two weeks more than 13,000 viewers had seen it in cinemas across Latvia. From 12 February the series became available on the Go3 streaming platform, later airing on TV3 and TV3 Play. It received several nominations for Latvia’s National Film Award “Lielais Kristaps 2024,” including Best Series and Best Director, along with acting nominations for Rihards Zelezņevs, Vilis Daudziņš, Kaspars Znotiņš, Guna Zariņa, and Dace Eversa.
