Cēsis (), (german: Wenden, liv, Venden, et, Võnnu, pl, Kieś) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges above the river overlooking the woods below. Cēsis was one of the candidate cities for the title of European Capital of Culture 2014 ( Riga was the Latvian city that won the title).

Castle

The oldest settlement in Cēsis is the

hillfort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

on Riekstu hill, a fortified wooden castle built by a tribe known as the Vends. The mound with its partly preserved fortification system can still be seen in the Castle Park. This settlement was located near major

trade route A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. The term can also be used to refer to trade over bodies of water. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a sing ...

s from west to east and dominated the regional countryside. German crusaders known as the

Livonian Brothers of the Sword The Livonian Brothers of the Sword ( la, Fratres militiæ Christi Livoniae, german: Schwertbrüderorden) was a Catholic military order established in 1202 during the Livonian Crusade by Albert, the third bishop of Riga (or possibly by Theoderi ...

began construction of a castle ''Wenden'' near the hill fort in 1209. When the castle was enlarged and fortified, it served as the residence for the Order's Master. In 1577, during the

Livonian War The Livonian War (1558–1583) was the Russian invasion of Old Livonia, and the prolonged series of military conflicts that followed, in which Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia (Muscovy) unsuccessfully fought for control of the region (pr ...

, the garrison destroyed the castle to prevent it from falling into the control of Ivan the Terrible, who was decisively defeated in the Battle of Wenden (1578). In 1598 it was incorporated into the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...

and the

Wenden Voivodeship Wenden Voivodeship ( pl, Województwo wendeńskie) was a unit of administrative division and local government in the Duchy of Livonia, part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was formed in 1598 by King Sigismund III Vasa, out of Wenden ...

was created. In 1620 Wenden was conquered by Sweden. It was rebuilt afterwards, but destroyed again in 1703 during the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swed ...

by the

Russian army The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска �ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces. The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Force ...

and left in a ruined state. From the end of the 16th century, the premises of the Order's castle were adapted to the requirements of the Cēsis castle estate. When in 1777 the Cēsis castle estate was obtained by Count Sievers, he had his new residence house built on the site of the Eastern Block of the castle, joining its end wall with the fortification tower. Since 1949, the Cēsis History Museum has been located in the New Castle on the Cēsis Castle estate. The front yard of the New Castle is enclosed by a granary and a stable-coach house, which now houses the

Exhibition Hall A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...

of the Museum. Beside the granary there is the oldest brewery in Latvia— Cēsu Alus, which was built in 1878 during the latter years of Count Sievers' residency, but its origins date back to the period of the Livonian Order. Further on is the Cēsis castle park, which was laid out in 1812. The park has the romantic characteristic of that time, with its foot-paths, exotic plants, and the waters of the pond reflecting the castle's ruins.

The town

The planning of the town of Cēsis was done in the second half of the 13th century. The

market place A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from the Arabic), '' ...

with a church was in the centre of the town. The centre of housing was the stone castle of the Livonian Order with its three fortified towers. The town was also encircled by a dolomite

stone wall Stone walls are a kind of masonry construction that has been used for thousands of years. The first stone walls were constructed by farmers and primitive people by piling loose field stones into a dry stone wall. Later, mortar and plaster ...

with eight towers and five gates. Buildings from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

include St. John's Church (built 1281–1284), the

ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

of the Order's castle,

Cēsis Castle Cēsis Castle () is one of the most iconic and best preserved medieval castles in Latvia. The foundations of the castle were laid 800 years ago by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword. The most prosperous period Cēsis Castle experienced was durin ...

and fortification walls, fragments of which can still be seen at Vaļņu iela and Palasta iela. In addition, ancient road networks and building plots have survived from medieval times, although many of the buildings themselves have been ruined (the last destroyed in 1748). 18th century buildings can be seen at 16 and 25 Rīgas iela, while houses built in the first part of the 19th century are at 15 and 47 Rīgas iela, 6 Gaujas iela, and other streets. Cēsis was occupied by the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

king Gustavus Adolphus in 1621 during the Polish–Swedish War. In the second half of the 19th century, the construction of the Rīga- Pskov highway (1868) and the Rīga-Valka

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

line (1889) accelerated the development of the town. Raunas iela, leading from the railway station to the Old Town, was developed as a wide, presentable street with the Latvian Society House at 10 Raunas iela (architect Augusts Malvess), the Building of the Regional Court at 14 Raunas iela (architect P. Mengelis), and other important buildings. The Battle of Cēsis in June 1919, when Estonian and Latvian forces defeated the Germans, was one of the decisive battles in the

Latvian War of Independence The Latvian War of Independence ( lv, Latvijas Neatkarības karš), sometimes called Latvia's freedom battles () or the Latvian War of Liberation (), was a series of military conflicts in Latvia between 5 December 1918, after the newly proclaim ...

. Cēsis was also developed as a

health resort A destination spa or health resort is a resort centered on a spa, such as a mineral spa. Historically, many such spas were developed at the location of natural hot springs or mineral springs; in the era before modern biochemical knowledge and ...

. Upmarket summer houses and health centres were built in the vicinity of the Gauja. 'Cīrulīši' near the Svētavots (Holy Spring) Cave is the most remarkable of them, with a spring believed to possess healing powers.

Notable people

* Johann Graf von Sievers (1778–1827), Russian general * Emanuel Count von Sievers (1817–1909), Russian Senator * Heinrich Leonhard Adolphi (1852–1918), German-Baltic pastor and chess composer, Evangelical Lutheran martyr * Alfrēds Kalniņš (1879–1951), composer * Eduard Erdmann (1896–1958), German pianist and composer * Max Hildebert Boehm (1891–1968), sociologist * Adolf Rüütel (1906–1981), Estonian national football player * Wilhelm Theodor Georg Lenz (1906–1976), historian * Nina Vatatsy (1908–1997), bibliographer * Anita Stukāne (born 1954), long-jumper * Laima Vaikule (born 1954), singer * Edvīns Ķeņģis (born 1959), chess player * Ingrīda Amantova (born 1960), luger * Gerda Krūmiņa (born 1984), biathlete * Baiba Bendika (born 1991), biathlete *

Rodions Kurucs Rodions Kurucs (born 5 February 1998) is a Latvian professional basketball player for SIG Strasbourg of the French LNB Pro A. At tall, he plays the small forward position. Professional career Early career In March 2014, Kurucs signed a multi-y ...

(born 1998), basketball player

Twin towns—sister cities

Cēsis is twinned with: *

Achim Achim (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Achem''), commonly Achim bei Bremen, is a municipality and the largest town (population 30,059 in December 2006) in the district of Verden, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Weser, a ...

, Germany * Baku, Azerbaijan *

Gatchinsky District Gatchinsky District (russian: Га́тчинский райо́н) is an administrativeOblast Law #32-oz and municipalLaw #113-oz district (raion), one of the seventeen in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southwestern central part o ...

, Russia * Konstancin-Jeziorna, Poland * Rakvere, Estonia * Rokiškis, Lithuania * Tyresö, Sweden *

Venafro Venafro (Latin: ''Venafrum''; Greek: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Isernia, region of Molise, Italy. It has a population of 11,079, having expanded quickly in the post-war period. Geography Situated at the foot of Mount Santa Croce, elevat ...

, Italy *

Zhovkva Zhovkva ( uk, Жовква ; pl, Żółkiew; yi, זאָלקוואַ, translit=Zolkva; russian: Жо́лква, 1951–1992: ''Nesterov'') is a city in Lviv Raion, Lviv Oblast (region) of western Ukraine. Zhovkva hosts the administration of Z ...

, Ukraine

Gallery

File:Cesis Kirche 2.JPG,

Saint John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

Lutheran church in Cēsis File:Cesis - Raunas Tor (14. 15. Jh).jpg, Rauna Gate File:Christ Transfiguration Orthodox Church at Cesis.jpg, Cēsis Transfiguration of Christ Orthodox Church File:Cesis Rigas 7 2015-02-21 (1).jpg, Cēsis Old Town Hall File:VictoryMonumentCesis.jpg, The Victory monument in Union square in Cēsis File:Cēsis, Cēsu pilsēta, Latvia - panoramio (70).jpg File:Цесис (Латвия) Rožu laukums - Площадь Роз - panoramio.jpg, Square of Roses File:Cēsis naktī. No Vidzemes koncertzāle Cēsis jumta. Cesis at night - panoramio.jpg, City centre at night File:Rīgas Iela Cēsis 20191109 111552.jpg, Riga's Street (''Rīgas Iela'') File:Cesis clinic hospital (Cesu klinika) 2021.jpg, Cēsis

Clinic A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambulatory care clinic) is a health facility that is primarily focused on the care of outpatients. Clinics can be privately operated or publicly managed and funded. They typically cover the primary care needs ...

(''Cēsu klīnika'')

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cesis Populated places established in the 13th century Towns in Latvia 1206 establishments in Europe Kreis Wenden Cēsis Municipality Vidzeme