Everything about C Sis totally explained
; Кесь; Kieś; Tsesis; Zehsis
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|District=Cēsis
|area=19.280
|Water=
|Rural=
|Elevation=
|population=18065
|density=937
|postcode=LV-410(1-3)
|callcode=41
|webpage=http://www.cesis.lv/en/
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Cēsis is a
town in
Latvia located in the northern part of the Vidzeme Central upland. Cēsis 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 castle
The oldest settlement in Cēsis 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 from
1237 till
1561, with periodic interruptions. 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 Voivodship 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 Cēsis castle estate. When in
1777 the Cēsis castle estate was obtained by Count
Sievers, he'd 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 of the Museum. Beside the granary there's the oldest
brewery in Latvia, Cēsu alus darītava, 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 winding 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 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 with eight towers and five gates. Buildings from the medieval ages include
St. John's Church (built
1281-
1284), the
ruins of the Order's castle,
Cēsis Castle and fortification walls, fragments of which can still be seen at Vaļņu and Palasta Streets. 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 Street, while houses built in the first part of the
19th century are at 15 and 47 Rīgas Street, 6 Gaujas Street, and other urban roads.
In the second half of the 19th century, the construction of the Rīga-
Pskov highway (
1868) and the Rīga-Valka
railway line (
1889) 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 (architect A. Malvess), the Building of the Regional Court at 14 Raunas Street (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.
Cēsis was also developed as a health resort. 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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'C Sis'.
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