Cesis - City of Latvia

Cesis is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Vidzeme central upland. Cesis is on the Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges above the river overlooking the "blue woods" below. It is the capital of Cesis County.

The oldest settlement in Cesis is the hill fort on Riekstu hill, a fortified wooden castle built by a tribe known as the Vends. The 18m 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 west to east and dominated the regional countryside.

German crusaders known as the Livonian Order 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 the garrison destroyed the castle to prevent it from falling into the control of Ivan the Terrible. In 1598 it was incorporated into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Wenden Voivodeship was created. In 1620 Wenden was conquered by Sweden. It was rebuilt afterwards, but destroyed again in 1703 during the Great Northern War by the Russian army 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 Cesis castle estate.

Further on is the Cesis 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.

In the second half of the 19th century, the construction of the Riga-Pskov highway and the Riga-Valka railway line accelerated the development of the town. Raunas Street, leading from the railway station to the Old Town, was developed as a wide, presentable street with the Latvian Society House at 10 Raunas Street, the Building of the Regional Court at 14 Raunas Street and other important buildings.

The Battle of Cesis in June 1919 when Estonian and Latvian forces defeated the Germans was one of the decisive battles in the Latvian War of Independence. In recognition of the 90th anniversary of the battle, Cesis has been selected as the place for Estonian Defence League's Victory Day parade of 2009.

Cesis was also developed as a health resort. Upmarket summer houses and health centres were built in the vicinity of the Gauja. 'Ciruliši' near the Svetavots Cave is the most remarkable of them, with a spring believed to possess healing powers.