The town of Cesis, in Latvia, is located in the northern part of Vidzeme Central upland, on the river Gauja, on high hillocks with terraces, overlooking the blue woods of the Gauja ancient river valley.
The castle park with castlemound and ruins The most ancient settlement centre in Cesis is the hill-fort - Riekstu hill -with a fortified wooden castle of Vends. The 18 m high mound with its partly preserved fortification system can still be seen in the Castle Park. This settlement was located near major trade routes from the West to the East, therefore it is not by accident that it was chosen as the basis for further conquests of other countries by the German Crusaders, and the construction of the Stone castle began on the hillock opposite the Vend hill-fort in the 13th century.
The planning of the Cesis town was done in the second half of the 13th century. The market place with a church was in the centre of the town. The centre of the housing was the stone Castle of the Livonian Order with its three fortified forecastles. The town was also encircled by a dolomite stone wall with eight towers and five gates. St. John's Church, built in 1281-1284, ruins of the Order Castle and fragments of the fortification walls in Valnu and Palasta Streets, as well as the ancient street network and building plots, with the buildings ruined during the wars and fires (the last big one in 1748) have survived from the medieval times. Today we can see the buildings of the 18th century at 16 and 25 Rigas Street, houses built in the first part of the 19th century at 15 and 47 Rigas Street, 6 Gaujas Street, etc.
Cesis developed as a health resort, too. Posh summer houses - health centres were built in the vicinity of the Gauja. 'Cirulisi' is the most famous of them, near the Svetavots (Holy Spring) Cave, with a spring believed to possess healing powers.
Cesis is still a favourite with far and near guests, who appreciate its calm and peaceful flow of life, so characteristic of a small town.
And if you want to visit Cesis conect to:
- Cesis Tourism Information Centre
- Pils laukums 1, Cesis, LV 4101
- Telephone: 4121815 Fax: 4107777
- E-mail: info@cesis.lv