Koknese () is a historic
town in
Latvia, the administrative centre of
Koknese municipality on the right bank of the
Daugava river. It has a population of nearly 3,000.
History
The site of Koknese was originally a
Latgalian and
Selonian settlement named
Kukenois. By the late 12th century, the settlement of Koknese had fallen under the loose
sovereignty of
Principality of Polatsk as a
tributary sub-
principality.
At the beginning of the 13th century, the
crusading Livonian Brothers of the Sword led by Bishop
Albert of Buxhoeveden of
Riga began to occupy the shores of the
Gulf of Riga. By 1205 in return for protection against
Lithuanians and
Polatsk, the
Eastern Orthodox prince
Vyachko (
Vetseka) of Koknese gave half of his land to Albert. By 1209 Koknese had been taken over by the Order, whereupon Albert ordered the construction of a stone
castle where the Daugava meets the
Pērse river to replace the wooden fortification of the Latvians. The formal sovereignty of Polotsk was finally revoked in 1215. The Order then controlled the town until its transference in 1238 to the
bishops of Riga. The town became the summer residence of the Archbishop of Riga in 1420 and the primary residence in the 16th century.
The castle was frequently a source of dispute between the bishops and the von Tiesenhausen family, which it had been granted to as a
fief in 1269. They were supported by the Teutonic Order, as noble possession of the castle weakened the power of their rivals in the bishopric.
The town, known in German as
Kokenhusen, received its
town privileges in 1277. During the 14th century, Koknese flourished as part of the mercantile
Hanseatic League. Archbishop
John V of Wallenrodt was able to resolve the conflict with the Teutonic Order and restore the territory to the church in 1397.
During the
Livonian War, Koknese was taken by
Poland in 1561, which named the town
Kokenhuza. Although
Muscovite forces captured the town, it was recovered by
Polish forces. During the 17th century
Polish-Swedish Wars, the town was repeatedly contested. It was the site of the
Battle of Kokenhausen in 1601, in which the
hussars of the
Polish cavalry defeated their numerically greater
Swedish adversaries. However, the town became part of the
Dominions of Sweden in 1629 and was refortified by the Swedes.
During the
Great Northern War the castle was conquered by
Saxony in 1700 and destroyed by the Saxons when they were forced to retreat before the Swedes in 1701. By war's end Kokenhusen was incorporated into
Imperial Russia with the rest of Livonia. Although the Russians had been calling it
Kukeinos from the 13th century, they chose to keep the German name.
A
railway line running through Koknese was completed by 1861, allowing the town to become a recreational site. The
Baltic German von Löwenstern family constructed a
Neo-Renaissance manor castle which was completed in 1894; however, it burned down during the
Russian Revolution of 1905.
After Latvian independence from Russia and Germany was declared after
World War I, a hill in the town was dubbed "Professor's Hill" owing to its popularity as a meeting place for
intelligentsia. By then the town was known by the Latvian name
Koknese.
The
Pļaviņas hydroelectric plant was commissioned near the town in 1966. Its construction left the foundation of the castle ruins underwater.
People
The Latvian
playwright Rūdolfs Blaumanis lived in the town during the 1880s.
Koknese is a participant in the
New Hanseatic League, an association with the goal of developing the economy and tourism of its constituent cities.
The
Coat of arms of Koknese depicts a boat, a key, and a
crosier.
Sights
The Koknese Manor
Park, located over parts of the medieval town and castle ruins, contains the tallest wooden sculpture in the country. The structure, built by
Ģirts Burvis, was opened in 2002 to commemorate the 725th
anniversary of the town's foundation.
See also
