The Krimulda Castle () is located just outside
Sigulda
Sigulda (; ; Polish Zygwold) is a town in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, from the capital city Riga.
Overview
Sigulda is on a picturesque stretch of the primeval Gauja river valley. Because of the reddish Devonian sandstone which forms steep r ...
,
Sigulda Municipality
Sigulda Municipality () is a municipality in Vidzeme, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2003 by merging Sigulda town, Sigulda Parish and More Parish. In 2009 it absorbed Allaži parish, too; the administrative centre being Sigulda. The po ...
in the
Vidzeme
Vidzeme (; Old Latvian orthography: ''Widda-semme'', ) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. The capital of Latvia, Riga, is situated in the southwestern part of the region. Literally meaning "the Middle Land", it is situated in north-centra ...
region of
Latvia
Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...
and is a tourist attraction. The castle dates from the 14th century and was destroyed in a war in 1601.
Prince Liven’s living house was built in the classic style. The manor complex consists of steward’s house, coach house, Swiss cottage, etc. Home
wine tasting
Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...
is available by prior arrangement.
History
During the 13th century, the left bank of the
Gauja
The Gauja River (, ) is a river in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is the only large river of Latvia that begins and ends its flow in Latvia. Its length is 460 km, of which 93.5 km (approximately one-fifth) are in Gauja National P ...
river was governed by the
Order of the Brethren of the Sword, (later known as the
Order of Livonia), while the territories on the right bank were under the domain of the
Archbishop of Riga. Krimulda castle belonged to the
Riga
Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...
High Council which was a group of twelve high priests who advised the archbishop.
Krimulda castle was built on the edge of a high bank on the right side of Gauja near the Vikmeste castle mound and the village of Livs. This placement made it nearly impossible to conquer. On one side it was protected by the steep valley wall of Gauja river, two additional sides were obstructed by the Vikmeste river, which had equally steep banks, and the fourth side bordered on a man-made ravine with a draw-bridge leading into the forecastle. The deep valley of the Vikmeste River also provided a natural borderline between the lands of Krimulda and Turaida.
The castle was built using large-sized boulders. The outer wall of the castle at ground level was about 2 meters/6–7 feet thick.
The castle was involved in a number of battles between the Livonian Order and the Archbishop of Riga as well as many of the later wars of Livonia. In the spring of 1601 during the Swedish-Polish war, it was conquered by the Swedish army. In the fall of that same year advancing Polish troops burned the castle down so it would not fall into the hands of the enemy. The castle was left unrepaired after the fire.
The castle regained purpose in the mid-19th century under the ownership of Prince
Lieven
The House of Lieven (; ;
) is one of the oldest and most aristocratic families of Scandinavian and Baltic-German origin.
History
The family is descended from Caupo of Turaida (Latvian, ''Kaupo''), the Livonian ''quasi rex'' who converte ...
, though not as a military fortification but as a romantic addition to a park.
Gallery
Krimulda Castle ruins in 2014.
Krimulda piiskopilinnuse varemed 02.JPG
Krimulda piiskopilinnuse varemed 03.JPG
Krimulda piiskopilinnuse varemed 04.JPG
Krimulda piiskopilinnuse varemed 05.JPG
Krimulda piiskopilinnuse varemed 08.JPG
Krimulda piiskopilinnuse varemed 10.JPG
Krimulda piiskopilinnuse varemed 12.JPG
Krimulda piiskopilinnuse varemed 13.JPG
Krimulda piiskopilinnuse varemed 14.JPG
See also
*
List of castles in Latvia
This is the List of castles in Latvia, which includes fortified residences of Western European conquerors built in the area of present-day Latvia before the 17th century. There are about 140 medieval castles in the area, therefore this list is not ...
*
Sigulda Castle
Sigulda Castle, also known as Sigulda New Castle (), is a castle in Sigulda, Sigulda Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It was built in 1878 in the Neo-Gothic style as a residence for the owners of the manor, the Kropotkin family. The ...
*
Turaida Castle
Turaida Castle (, ; meaning ''Thor's garden'' in Livonian) is a recently reconstructed medieval castle in Turaida, in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, on the opposite bank of the Gauja River from Sigulda.
History
Turaida Castle dominates the Mus ...
References
External links
*
{{coord, 57, 10, 15.37, N, 24, 49, 55.41, E, type:landmark_region:LV, display=title
Castles in Vidzeme
Castles of the Teutonic Knights
Sigulda
Riga county