The Castle City of Cesis
The castle city of Cesis is just over two hours by train through the countryside from Riga. Despite the lack of foreign tourists due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were plenty of visitors from the region enjoying getting back to some degree of normality. The restaurants in the main square beside St John’s Church were brimming and full of the jollity of weekend chatter.
Decent accommodation and good places to eat was too tempting, and I ended up staying a couple of nights in Cesis. It also gave me the opportunity to enjoy the castle at a leisurely pace.
Cesis Castle
Most people come to Cesis to explore its 13th century castle. It is considered to be the best preserved medieval castle in Latvia. The local Christian military order of the Livonian Knights of the Sword built the castle at the beginning of the 13th century. In 1237, the order became a branch of the invading Germanic knights of the Teutonic Order. They reconstructed the castle making it one of the most important strong holds in the Livonian Kingdom (Latvia and Estonia today). However, the 16th century Russian invasion of Livonia left the castle badly damaged. In the 19th century this magnificent structure finally received the preservation and protection that it warrants.
Within the castle grounds, a medieval garden has been created with foods typically used at the time of construction. The produce includes edible roots (parsnip, kale, and celery), herbs (garlic, parsley, and coriander), and medicinal plants (marigold and wormwood).
