Château de Galleville is remarkable for ifs great unity of style. The castle was built in 1678 by Roque de Varengeville, counsellor to King Louis XIV and also his ambassador in Venice (a city in which he would develop a passion for stucco architecture, later applying this decorative technique to the chateau's chapel. A continuous line of ownership by inheritance or marriage can be traced from the present owners back to 1769, year in which the chateau estate was bought by the Monsieur de Reuville family. In later years, it passed via marriage into the families of the Count of Héricy and the Marquis de Montault. Finally, it was bequeathed by Melle Isaure de Montault to her nephew, the Baron d'Etchegoyen.
The Revolution spread to Doudeville but the chateau emerged relatively unscathed. Complete restoration of the chateau was carried out by Count Mniszech, husband of a certain Melle de Montault in 1880. During the First World War (1914-1918) chateau was occupied by regiments of Scottish and English soldiers.
In 1943 Galleville suffered damages during World War II, not by bombs but by a fire started by the Germans who were occupying the site. At the end of the war, a whole section of the chateau was in ruins. The Baron d'Etchegoyen rapidly set about repairing the damage — the building works would last eight years but restored the chateau to its former glory. Today Château de Galleville is open to the public.
References:House of the Blackheads (Melngalvju nams) is a building situated in the old town of Riga. The original building was erected during the first third of the 14th century for the Brotherhood of Blackheads, a guild for unmarried German merchants in Riga. Major works were done in the years 1580 and 1886, adding most of the ornaments.
The structure was bombed to a ruin by the Germans June 28, 1941 and the remains demolished by the Soviets in 1948. The current reconstruction was erected from 1995 to 1999. Today the House of Blackheads serves as a museum and sometimes concert hall.