This is the List of castles in Latvia, which includes fortified residences of Western European conquerors built in the area of present-day Latvia before the 17th century. There are about 140 medieval castles in the area, therefore this list is not complete. After the name of the castle comes the year of construction and a short description of its present-day condition.
Table of contents
Courland
Name | Town | Districts | Established | Status | Notes | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Aizpute Castle |
Aizpute | South Kurzeme | End of the 13th century | Ruins | ||
![]() Alsunga Castle |
Alsunga | Kuldīga | Before 1341 | Preserved | In use | |
![]() Dundaga Castle |
Dundaga | Talsi | Late 13th century | Preserved | In use | |
![]() Ēdole Castle |
Ēdole | Kuldīga | From 1264 to 1267 | Preserved | In use | |
Embūte Castle |
Embūte | South Kurzeme | Around 1265 | Ruins | Walls stand up to 7 meters high | |
Grobiņa Castle |
Grobiņa | South Kurzeme | 1253 | Ruins | A wooden castle before 1265 | |
![]() Nurmuiža Castle |
Lauciene | Talsi | Around 1598 | Preserved | Under reconstruction | |
![]() Piltene Castle |
Piltene | Ventspils | End of the 13th century | Ruins | ||
![]() Ventspils Castle |
Ventspils | Ventspils city | Before 1290 | Preserved | In use |
Zemgale
Name | Town | Parish | Established | Status | Notes | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bauska Castle |
Bauska | Bauska | Built after 1443 | Under reconstruction | Medieval part in ruins and Renaissance part reconstructed | |
Dobele Castle |
Dobele | Dobele | From 1335 to 1359 | Impressive ruins | ||
![]() Jaunpils Castle |
Jaunpils | Tukums | 1301 | Preserved | In use | |
![]() Rundāle Palace |
Pilsrundāle | Bauska | 1768, museum opened in 1963 | Preserved | In use | |
![]() Šlokenbeka Castle |
Milzkalne | Tukums | Built before 1544 | Preserved and transformed | In use | [1] |
Vidzeme
Name | Town | Parish | Established | Status | Notes | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Aizkraukle Castle |
Aizkraukle | Aizkraukle | Second half of the 14th century | Ruins | Walls standing up to 5 meters high | |
![]() Alūksne Castle |
Alūksne | Alūksne | Around 1342 | Ruins | Walls higher than 5 meters high | |
Burtnieki Castle |
Burtnieki | Valmiera | Built before 1366 | Ruins | Walls up to 4 meters high | |
![]() Cēsis Castle |
Cēsis | Cēsis | Around 1213-1218 | Impressive ruins | ||
![]() Daugavgrīva Castle |
Daugavgrīva | Rīga | 1208 | Only earthen ramparts | ||
![]() Gaujiena Castle |
Gaujiena | Smiltene | Around 1236-1238 | Ruins | Walls standing higher than 10 meters | |
![]() Koknese Castle |
Koknese | Aizkraukle | Around 1210 | Impressive ruins | ||
![]() Krimulda Castle |
Krimulda | Sigulda | Middle of the 13th century | Ruins | ||
![]() Lielstraupe Castle |
Straupe | Cēsis | End of the 13th century | Preserved | In use | |
![]() Lielvārde Castle |
Lielvārde | Ogre | Built before 1248 | Ruins | ||
![]() Uldevena wooden castle |
Lielvārde | Lielvārde | Ogre | Built before 1213 | Reconstructed | |
Rauna Castle |
Rauna | Rauna | Built before 1381 | Impressive ruins | ||
![]() Riga Castle |
Riga | Rīga | Built in the 1340s | Preserved | In use | |
![]() Salacgrīva fortress |
Salacgrīva | Limbaži | Built in 1226 | Ruins | Barely visible | [2] |
![]() Sigulda Medieval Castle |
Sigulda | Sigulda | From 1207 to 1209 | Impressive ruins | ||
Turaida Castle |
Turaida | Sigulda | Built in 1214 | Partly reconstructed | ||
![]() Vecdole Castle |
Dole island | Salaspils | Built before 1226 | Ruins | Barely visible | |
![]() Vecpiebalga Castle |
Vecpiebalga | Cēsis | Built before 1318 | Ruins | Walls standing up to 6 metres high |
Latgale
Name | Town | Parish | Established | Status | Notes | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dinaburga Castle |
East of Daugavpils | Augšdaugava | Around 1273-1277 | Excavated and exposed ruins | ||
![]() Krustpils Castle |
Jēkabpils | Jēkabpils | Second half of the 13th century | Preserved | In use | |
Ludza Castle |
Ludza | Ludza | Built in the 14th century | Impressive ruins | ||
![]() Viļaka Castle |
Viļaka | Balvi | End of the 15th century | Ruins | Stone castle after 1516 | |
Rēzekne Castle |
Rēzekne | Rēzekne | Built before 1324 | Ruins | [3][4] |
See also
- List of castles
- List of castles in Estonia
- List of palaces and manor houses in Estonia
- List of palaces and manor houses in Latvia
- List of hillforts in Latvia
- List of castles in Lithuania
Additional information
References
- ^ Zarāns, Alberts (2006). Latvijas pilis un muižas. Castles and manors of Latvia (in Latvian and English). Riga. ISBN 9984-785-05-X. OCLC 72358861.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Gertrud Westermann (1990). Baltisches historisches Ortslexikon (in German). Böhlau Verlag Köln Weimar. pp. 538–. ISBN 978-3-412-06889-9. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ Saul Bernard Cohen (2008). The Columbia Gazetteer of the World: P to Z. Columbia University Press. p. 3185. ISBN 978-0-231-14554-1.
- ^ Ellen Chivers Davies (1937). A wayfarer in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. R.M. McBride & company. p. 160.
Sources
- Zarāns, Alberts (2006). Latvijas pilis un muižas. Castles and manors of Latvia (in Latvian and English). Riga. ISBN 9984-785-05-X. OCLC 72358861.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Ose, I. (2004). Latvijas 12. gadsimta beigu - 17. gadsimta vācu piļu leksikons (in Latvian). Riga.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)