Cēsis

The castle by candlelight

The medieval castle of Cesis, Latvia was founded by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in 1214 and later became the official residence of the Master of the Livonian Order — making it one of the most politically significant fortresses in the eastern Baltic for over three centuries. Unlike the smaller outpost castles that dot the Gauja Valley, Cesis was a seat of government: the Order's administration, archives, and senior clergy were based here. The castle expanded through successive building campaigns, and by the 15th century it comprised a main tower, residential wings, and extensive outer fortifications surrounding the inner ward.

The castle fell during the Livonian War in 1577, when Ivan the Terrible's forces besieged it. According to local tradition, the garrison — faced with defeat — chose to blow up the powder magazine rather than surrender to the Russian forces. The explosion destroyed much of the interior and left the ruins in broadly the state they occupy today. What survived — the outer walls, several towers, the main gate complex, and the great hall — gives a clear impression of the castle's original scale.

Today the castle ruins are open to visitors in a way unlike any other site in Latvia. You are handed a lantern at the entrance and explore the roofless halls, staircases, and towers by its light. The experience works particularly well in the evening or on overcast days, when the stone walls flicker with moving shadows and the scale of the old fortress becomes vivid in a way that bright daylight tends to flatten. The adjacent New Castle — an 18th-century manor house built by the Counts von Sievers on land purchased from the Swedish crown — has been restored and now houses well-presented exhibitions on the castle's history, the Livonian Order's role in the Baltic, and the town's development from medieval trading centre to modern Latvian community.

St. John's Church

St. John's Church stands at the edge of the castle park, a red-brick Gothic structure whose oldest sections date to the late 13th century, making it one of the oldest churches in Latvia. The building was rebuilt and enlarged several times — most significantly after a fire in the 17th century — but retains medieval wall paintings in its choir and nave, carved stone architectural details around the windows and doorways, and a wooden pulpit from the 1680s. The interior is cool, dim, and well-proportioned, and the quality of the medieval brickwork is visible throughout.

The church tower has served as a landmark for the Cesis area for over seven hundred years and is visible from the surrounding countryside and from the castle grounds. Regular organ and chamber music concerts are held here, taking advantage of the acoustics — the reverb in the nave is long and warm without becoming muddy, well-suited to Baroque and early music. The church is part of the Lutheran congregation that has been active here since the Reformation in the 16th century.

The old town

The streets of central Cesis, Latvia are compact and very walkable. Rigas Street, the main thoroughfare running south from the castle park, is lined with two- and three-storey buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries — painted plaster facades in muted yellows, greens, and greys, mostly merchant and civic buildings that reflect the town's position as a regional market centre. The town square, Vienibas laukums, is modest but well-proportioned, flanked by the town hall and a row of 19th-century commercial buildings.

The surrounding lanes of the old town hold small independent shops, galleries, and cafes. Unlike the old towns of Riga, Latvia or Tallinn, Estonia, Cesis has not been heavily redeveloped for tourism — the majority of buildings are in everyday residential or commercial use, and the overall impression is of a place where people live and work. This settled, lived-in quality is one of the town's most appealing characteristics. The Cesis History and Art Museum, housed in the New Castle, is worth at least two hours; the Latvian Sports Museum on Lencu Street is a pleasant curiosity with displays on Latvian sporting traditions from the 19th century onward.

Craft beer and local food

Cesis has become one of Latvia's most recognised centres for craft brewing, building on a tradition that stretches back to at least the 16th century. The original Cesis Brewery, established in 1590, was among the oldest continuously operating breweries in northern Europe before it closed in the late Soviet period. Today, the Cesis Alus brewery has revived production on a smaller scale, and several newer microbreweries have opened in and around the town. Local beers tend toward clean, malt-forward lagers and amber ales using Latvian barley — the water from the Gauja catchment is notably good for brewing.

Several restaurants in the old town and castle park area pair local beers with Latvian kitchen cooking — smoked fish from the Gauja, rye bread from local bakers, seasonal root vegetable dishes, and the dense, sweet-sour dark bread soup that is a Latvian staple in autumn and winter. The restaurant Raksts on the town square is the most established address for local food; the cafe adjacent to the castle museum serves good pastries and simple lunch dishes. A Saturday market near the bus station sells vegetables, dairy, and preserves alongside craft stalls and is worth arriving for on a weekend morning.

History: a town built on the Order

Cesis, Latvia has one of the longest documented histories of any Latvian town. A Liv settlement existed here before the German crusaders arrived in the early 13th century, and the town grew up in the shadow of the castle — first as a market serving the Order's administrative needs, then as an independent Hanseatic trading centre. By the 15th century Cesis was a member of the Hanseatic League and trading in furs, wax, grain, and timber with partners across the Baltic and into Germany.

The Livonian War ended that first period of prosperity. What followed was a succession of foreign controls — Polish-Lithuanian, Swedish, then Russian imperial — each leaving its mark on the town's architecture, street plan, and civic institutions. The Town Hall Square and the surviving 18th-century buildings reflect the Swedish and early Russian imperial periods, when Cesis recovered its role as the main market town of the upper Gauja region. Under the independent Latvian republic after 1918, Cesis developed as a cultural and educational centre, and this character has persisted to the present.

The Gauja Valley from Cesis

Cesis sits at the upper end of the most scenic stretch of the Gauja Valley, where the river runs through the widest and most accessible part of Gauja National Park. From here you can hike or cycle south along the river toward Sigulda, Latvia — a route of about 40 kilometres that passes sandstone cliffs, forest clearings, the village of Ligatne with its nature reserve, and a succession of river viewpoints. The trail is well-marked and largely flat along the valley floor, with occasional climbs to the rim for elevated views.

Canoe trips on the Gauja typically start from Cesis or from the rental point near Ligatne and take between a half-day and two full days depending on how far you go. The river current is gentle enough for beginners, and the forested banks mean you see little of the surrounding farmland — the journey feels remote even though it is never far from a road. For shorter walks, the Cesis town forest and castle park together offer several hours of pleasant trails through mixed woodland, and the views from the castle tower across the valley are among the best in the Gauja region.

Where to stay and practical notes

Cesis, Latvia has a small but growing selection of accommodation. The Cesis Inn (Cesis Viesu Nams) near the castle park is the best-established address, with comfortable rooms and good access to the main sights. Several guesthouses and apartments in the old town lanes offer self-catering options suitable for longer stays. For those who want countryside accommodation, farmstays and holiday cottages within Gauja National Park are bookable through local operators and give a very different experience from the town centre — waking to forest and birdsong rather than cobblestones. In summer, booking ahead is necessary; the town fills on weekends with visitors from Riga, Latvia who come for the castle, the craft beer, and the Gauja Valley walking.

The town is very walkable — the castle, St. John's Church, the town square, and the main museum are all within fifteen minutes of each other on foot. Bicycles are available for hire from a few operators near the castle park and are the best way to access the Gauja riverbank trail toward Ligatne, about 15 kilometres south. Walking shoes with grip are advisable for the castle interior, where the stone floors can be uneven and the candlelit areas are genuinely dim. The castle is particularly rewarding visited in the late afternoon rather than at midday — the lower light gives the stone walls better definition and the crowds are thinner.

Cesis music and cultural life

For a town of fewer than 15,000 people, Cesis, Latvia has a disproportionate cultural programme. The Cesis Music Festival — held each June and July in St. John's Church and the castle grounds — attracts chamber music ensembles and soloists from across the Baltic and Scandinavia for a season of concerts in some of the most atmospheric settings available to any music festival in the region. The church acoustics and the castle courtyard under evening sky are genuinely special venues, and the festival has built a serious reputation over several decades of programming.

The Cesis Art Festival in July and August uses public spaces, galleries, and unexpected corners of the old town for installations, performances, and interventions by Latvian and international artists. The approach is informal and site-specific, making the town itself the exhibition space rather than confining the work to a gallery. The result is an annual activation of the old town that draws visitors from Riga and beyond who might not otherwise make the journey to Cesis. Outside the festival season, the Cesis Gallery on Rigas Street shows changing exhibitions of Latvian contemporary art year-round.

Day trips from Cesis

Cesis sits at a good base point for exploring the upper Gauja Valley and the surrounding Vidzeme region. Sigulda, Latvia is 35 kilometres south by road — under an hour by car or bus — and combines well as a two-site day if you have transport. The Araisi Lake Fortress, about 12 kilometres south of Cesis, is a reconstructed wooden island fortress from the 9th century built on an artificial platform in the middle of a lake — one of the most unusual archaeological sites in Latvia and easily visited in an hour. The Stalbe sandstone outcrops and the Gauja Valley hiking trails between Cesis and the village of Ligatne offer further options for those spending two or more days in the area.

Getting here

Cesis is 90 kilometres northeast of Riga, Latvia along the A2 highway and regional roads through Sigulda. The drive takes about 90 minutes. Buses run from Riga several times daily, with the journey taking about two hours. Trains from Riga on the Riga–Valmiera line run a few times daily; the journey is about 90 minutes. Most visitors to the Gauja Valley combine Cesis with Sigulda and Turaida Castle — the three sites are all within 40 kilometres of each other and can be covered in a two-day trip from Riga with overnight accommodation in Cesis. The town is small enough that you do not need a car once you are here, though a car helps for reaching the more remote stretches of the national park.