Sigulda Municipality
Three rival medieval castles (1214) guarding the Gauja valley. Gateway to Latvia's oldest national park (1973). Turaida is the country's most-visited museum.
Sigulda sits where three medieval powers clashed: the Livonian Order built one castle, the Archbishop of Riga built another across the river, and the Riga Cathedral Chapter built a third. All three fortresses—Sigulda, Turaida, Krimulda—rose in the early 13th century to guard the Gauja River valley. They spent centuries competing for control.
"Turaida" means "Garden of God" in Livonian—the language of the indigenous people the crusaders displaced. The Archbishop began construction in 1214 under orders from Albert of Riga. The castle fell to Swedes in 1601 and burned in 1776, but restoration began in 1953. Today it's Latvia's most-visited museum, telling a thousand years of history from a reconstructed 26-meter tower.
Sigulda became the gateway to Gauja National Park when the park was established in 1973—90,000 hectares of protected forest, 500+ cultural monuments, 19 ancient castle mounds, and the scenic valley that earned the region the nickname "Switzerland of Vidzeme." The town (population ~14,000) sits 53 km from Riga, close enough for day trips.
By 2026, Sigulda's challenge is familiar: how to absorb tourism pressure without degrading the landscape that draws visitors. The castles survived wars. Whether they survive success is uncertain.