Cesis Municipality
Livonian crusader castle (1208) where 300 defenders blew themselves up rather than surrender to Ivan the Terrible (1577). Battle of Cēsis (1919) secured Latvian independence.
Cēsis is where Latvian identity crystallized. In June 1919, Estonian and Latvian forces defeated the Germans here—one of the decisive battles in Latvia's independence war. The town has been telling that story ever since.
But Cēsis is far older. In 1206, a small tribe called the Wends converted to Christianity during the Livonian Crusades. Two years later, the Livonian Brothers of the Sword built a castle on their hillfort. Under the Teutonic Order, Wenden Castle became the seat of the Landmeister in Livland—the regional headquarters of the crusader state. When Ivan the Terrible besieged it in 1577, approximately 300 defenders committed mass suicide by igniting the powder magazine rather than surrender.
Over 30 archaeological excavation seasons have made Cēsis Castle the most studied medieval fortress in Latvia. The town sits at the heart of Gauja National Park—Latvia's largest protected area, 452 km of river, sandstone cliffs, and forest. Tourism now drives the economy that castles and crusades once did.
By 2026, Cēsis's challenge is managing success: how to absorb tourist pressure without destroying the medieval character that draws visitors. The powder magazine is long empty. The carrying capacity question remains.