Monuments to visit Vidzeme

From Sigulda, you can see the high red brick tower of the Livonian castle of Turaida, which dates from 1215 and from which there is a superb view. A museum in the 15th century attic explains the history of the Livonian state from the 14th to the 16th century. In the summer, festivals of folk songs are held here. In the park surrounding the fortress you can get acquainted with local traditions: pirts (sauna), blacksmith's workshop, very interesting fish cellars (the refrigerator of the medieval period), a house of barons and servants.

This new castle was built on the site of a former Teutonic Order stronghold. Its current exhibitions are dedicated to its history and trace its existence in different eras, presenting archaeological objects found in Cēsis and a very interesting exhibition on one of the city's most famous beer factories, Cēsu alus, which has contributed greatly to the city's development and is entirely linked with its history.

In the ^16th century, during the Livonian War between Poland and the Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible, the German baron Johan Biring succeeded in driving Ivan's army out. For his victories, the Polish-Lithuanian king gave him the estate of Kolcene, which today bears the name of Baron Biring. In the ^18th century, the estate was bought by a Swedish baron, and a new castle was built in the Swedish Baroque style. In the ^19th century, neo-Gothic elements were added to the building and the main entrance was redesigned in Renaissance style.