Turaida Castle from north
(, ; meaning
Thor's garden in
Livonian) is a recently reconstructed
medieval castle in
Turaida, in the
Vidzeme region of
Latvia, on the opposite bank of the
Gauja River from
Sigulda.
The castle was constructed in the
Brick Gothic style in
1214 under
Albert, archibishop of
Riga, on the site of the destroyed wooden castle of the
Livonian leader
Caupo of Turaida. Construction and development of the fortifications continued to the 17th century, when the castle started to lose its strategic importance. It was badly damaged by fire in 1776 and not reconstructed, and in the course of time fell into ruin.
Restoration began in the 1970s and the castle is now the centrepiece of the Turaida Museum Reserve, which also includes the oldest wooden church in Vidzeme and its surrounding Livonian cemetery, containing the grave of
Maija, the Rose of Turaida;
Dainu Hill, now a sculpture park celebrating Latvian folksong; and the beautifully landscaped castle grounds.
See also
