7 historic sites
Castles in Latvia
Latvia's medieval heritage is defined by the Livonian Order — German crusading knights who built a network of powerful red-brick fortresses across the Baltic in the 13th century. The Gauja National Park contains four Livonian Order castles within 30 kilometres, earning the valley the nickname 'Latvian Switzerland'. Rundāle Palace adds a stunning Baroque counterpoint — one of the finest 18th-century palaces in northern Europe.
latvia · Zemgale
Rundāle Palace
The Winter Palace architect's masterwork on the Latvian steppe — Rastrelli's Baroque palace for the Duke of Courland, with gilded staterooms, Versailles-style gardens, and a restoration story that rescued it from Soviet-era granary to one of the Baltic's finest palace museums
latvia · Zemgale
Bauska Castle
Where the Livonian Order ends and the Duchy of Courland begins — Bauska Castle stands at the confluence of two rivers and two eras, the last Order fortress and the first ducal palace of Baltic history
latvia · Aizkraukle District
Koknese Castle
The bishop's castle half-swallowed by the Daugava — Koknese is one of Latvia's earliest medieval fortifications, now partially flooded by a Soviet-era hydroelectric dam and standing in shallow water as a unique submerged ruin
latvia · Tukums District
Jaunpils Castle
The only Livonian Order tower house in Courland where you can spend the night — Jaunpils is a 1301 frontier castle that doubled as a noble manor and now operates as a medieval guesthouse in the Latvian countryside
latvia · Vidzeme, Gauja National Park
Turaida Castle
Latvia's iconic red-brick castle rising above the Gauja valley gorge
latvia · Vidzeme
Cēsis Castle
The medieval stronghold of the Livonian Knights in Latvia's most romantic town
latvia · Vidzeme, Gauja National Park
Sigulda Medieval Castle
The Livonian Order's first Latvian stronghold in the Gauja valley