A little under two hours east of Riga on the last trainline to Estonia, Cesis is easily manageable as a daytrip from the capital. Well-preserved and quiet, it's touted as one of the most authentically Latvian towns left after half a century of Soviet…Read More

A little under two hours east of Riga on the last trainline to Estonia, Cesis is easily manageable as a daytrip from the capital. Well-preserved and quiet, it's touted as one of the most authentically Latvian towns left after half a century of Soviet occupation, "so homely and cosy that a visit here seems like a holiday to a kind Latvian granny," if you believe Cesis's official tourist guide.

No matter whether you arrive by bus or by train, you'll end up half a kilometre east of the main square, Vienības laukums (Union Square), where you'll find the town's Victory Monument, a concrete obelisk in the middle of two roads. Celebrating the 1919 Battle of Cesis, in which a combined Estonian and Latvian force defeated the remnants of the Baltic German army, it was demolished by the Soviets in the 1950s and only reconstructed after independence.

The monument marks the centre of Cesis. Behind, the Kolonna Hotel has a basement restaurant (the entrance is down a flight of steps on the side of the building) with point-and-order Latvian food, pizzas and pints of the local Cesu beer on tap. Turn left and you'll enter Rigas iela, which has been Cesis's busiest street for the past eight hundred years. Halfway down, Rigas opens out into a square dominated by the 13th-century church of St John's (50 santimes entrance), which contains the tombs of several Knights of the Sword, the crusading German knights who first conquered pagan Latvia. Below St John's, the cobbled streets and one-storey wooden buildings of the old town are worth a few minutes of exploration.

Cesis's premier sight, however, is the remains of its 13th century castle. Left in a ruinous state after the Russians took it in 1703, a combined ticket for the castle and the adjoining Museum of History and Art costs 3 lats. Both are interesting enough, though nothing spectacular. If you don't want to pay, follow the monumental staircase down into Castle Park where you can scramble up the banks to the castle walls and have a peek over the top for free.

On its own, you can see all there is to see in Cesis in two or three hours. The only reason to stay overnight is that along with Sigulda - thirty kilometres back towards Riga - it makes the best base for exploring the Gauja Valley, Latvia's hiking, rafting and skiing capital. In winter one of the country's best ski slopes is located just three kilometres outside Cesis itself; in summer there are a multitude of forest and riverside hiking trails. Close

Cesis is a small but picturesque town, 90km northeast of Riga and 40km from Sigulda. The town of around 20.000 inhabitants is the capital of the Cesu District. About one quarter of the district is taken by the Gauja National Park, with Cesis completely surrounded…Read More

Cesis is a small but picturesque town, 90km northeast of Riga and 40km from Sigulda. The town of around 20.000 inhabitants is the capital of the Cesu District. About one quarter of the district is taken by the Gauja National Park, with Cesis completely surrounded by it, making the town an important gateway to the park. The town can be reached infrequently by train or more frequent by bus from Riga and Sigulda (around 2€ for Riga or half for Sigulda).

As many towns in Latvia, including Riga, a castle was built by German crusaders called the Livonian order to Christianize the pagan locals. It was named Wenden in German after a local tribe called the Vends. The hill fort was located near major Baltic trade routes, so soon a city developed around it. One of the first buildings to be constructed was the nowadays still present Romanesque St. John's church near the castle, in order to help spreading Christianity. In the 13th century the Germans were in full control of Livonia, an area roughly consisting of present-day Latvia and Estonia. The Germans expanded the castle many times, but the Livonian war of the 16th century left it in ruins. As a result of the war Livonia ceased to exist and its territory was divided between the rivaling sides. Cesis came first under control of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, but several other lengthy conflicts between the Commonwealth, Sweden and Russia followed and the town was nearly destroyed.

Russian rule proved a blessing for the rebuilding of the town and several new buildings were constructed, including a new castle next to the ruins of the old one. Count Sievers, who owned the castle grounds, also built the castle gardens and a brewery, making the well-known Cesu brand of beer. The city was largely left untouched during the first Latvian republic and later Nazi and Soviet occupation, so nowadays the restored town center has retained its medieval character.

The small city can easily be covered on foot as all sights are within walking distance of the town's major attraction, the beautiful ruins of the old Livonian Order castle. The Count's new castle with its beautiful gardens and pond now houses the Cesis Art and History Museum. Nearby Riga Street and the beautiful Rose Square still contain many medieval buildings. The 13th century St. John's church is just around the corner in Skolas Iela. East of the castle is the May Park with another pond and a few interesting sculptures. Two of Cesis' numerous hotels, Hotel Kolonna and Hotel Province (province@inbox.lv) are just next to the park. Both offer excellent accommodation for around 50€ a double room. For people on the cheap, there are two campsites 2km west of the city near the Gauja river. For a full listing see the official Cesis tourism website. Remember that there are two main seasons, in which rooms can be fully booked, namely summer from June till September, and winter in December-January. Close

Cesis is a small and quaint town in Northern Latvia with a specific flavour due to the majestic hill-fort, medieval buildings and the Gauja valley below. I visited it last spring on one of many Baltic trips and was rather impressed by it.There is very…Read More

Cesis is a small and quaint town in Northern Latvia with a specific flavour due to the majestic hill-fort, medieval buildings and the Gauja valley below. I visited it last spring on one of many Baltic trips and was rather impressed by it.

There is very little happening in the town itself but it is most certainly worth a day-trip and could perhaps be combined with a trip to Sigulda.

History
=====
The oldest building is the fortification on Riekstu hill which was first built by the Baltic tribe the Vends in the 12th century and can still be seen today even if it is a little hidden by the castle next to it which was built shortly after by the German invaders of the Livonian Order in the early 13th century. Cesis during this time was the capital of Livonia and acted as a major trade town between East and West and the castle was the residence of the Order's Master. In 1577 the castle was burnt by the garrison to keep Ivan the Terrible's mucky mits off it!

Cesis then changed hands like the rest of Livonia between Polish and Swedish, the castle was re-built during this time but was once again destroyed by the Russians during the The Great Northern War. In 1777 the castle became a private residence and beautiful grounds around it were built during the 19th century. After WW2 it became a national museum and now has a wonderfully peaceful feel to it.

Cesis is also home to Latvia's oldest brewery and story has it that Latvia's flag was born here as the king of the Letgal tribe was placed on a white flag which became stained red due to his wounds.

Getting There
===========

Cesis is 90km north east of Riga and it's about an hour and a half drive depending on the traffic leaving Riga. There are plenty of buses and trains between the two cities.

My final opinion
==============

As I said at the beginning, it's impressive and nice at the beginning but you could get bored here after a while and it's probably more of a day-trip than anything, saying that there are quite a lot of health spas in the neighbourhood which are often used for relaxing holidays. I think I was there on a Sunday and that might be the reason I thought the town itself was incredibly quiet.Close