Castle of Cesis, Latvia

The Castle of Cesis (Wenden) is a medieval castle located in the town of Cesis, Latvia. The castle was built by Livonian Order (German Crusaders) in 1207. From 1237 to 1561 it served as the residence of the Order's Master but it was in 1577 destroyed by the garrison to prevent the castle from falling into the hands of Ivan the Terrible. According to the legend the residents of the castle filled the cellar with powder and blew themselves up in the West Tower.



After the Swedish conquest in 1620 the Castle of Cesis was rebuilt but it was destroyed again in 1703 by the Russian army during the Great Northern War (1700-21). After the great fire in 1748 the castle fell into ruins, while its stones were used as the building material. In 1777 the Castle of Cesis was bought by the Count Carl Sievers who built a new castle on the site of gate defenses of the old castle. The Castle of Cesis was afterwards owned by the Sivers family until 1917. Since 1949 the new castle built in 1777 houses the Cesis History and Art Museum, while the medieval Castle of Cesis today is partly restored and opened to the public.