Rauna Castle Ruins, Rauna, Latvia

Rauna Castle ruins was the principal residence of the Archbishopric of Riga in which at for certain period each year it was visited the Archbishop with his entourage. The first mention of Rauna Castle date back to 1381, although historians agree that it may have been built here even earlier. 18th century sources mention the castle as being erected in 1262, following a proposal of Albert Suerbeer, Archbishop of Riga. It is noted that the castle was one of the most important centres of the archdiocese.

The biggest reconstructions occurred under the reign of Archbishop Jasper Linde. One of the new towers built was named Garais Kaspars (Tall Jasper), after the archbishop, and a small settlement developed around the castle, which later became the village of Rauna.

The devastation of the castle started in 1556 with attacks by the Livonian Order, which lasted until the end of the Livonian War. The worst damage to the castle occurred from 1657 to 1658, during the Second Northern War between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Swedish Empire. The castle was deserted after that and slowly turned to ruins. In 1683 the king of Sweden ordered the destruction of anything that resembled a fortress around the castle, so all towers were demolished. Today the Rauna Castle ruins are preserved. Many walls and even the bases of the towers remain.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Vladislav Barkovskij (2 years ago)
A peaceful place. The castle ruins sit on a hill, surrounded by a lovely park. You can't enter the castle, but you can still see its large remains from afar.

Andrejs Boka (2 years ago)
Interesting place to see the old castle remains.

Nameer Khzam (3 years ago)
Nothing is better than fresh air and a good walk. Come here and enjoy the energy :)

Jānis Bērziņš (3 years ago)
Impressive walls of the castle ruins which pop out on top of the mountain with a view on a church tower. There is an option to get the keys from a lady across the bus stop to enter the ruins and climb the castle tower.

Edgars Koronevskis (4 years ago)
Excellent view. If you're here before 5pm ask for the key to the castle. Ask for it in the start of stairs where the info center is located. Great views over the city. Nice surprise to find out more about this historical place.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Infomastern

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

Rauna Castle Ruins

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral