Cesis-Latvia

– The tourism office website : http://tourism.cesis.lv/

I was there on a rainy day, so I didn’t see it under its best light. This medieval town hosts many summer concerts and festivals, and is known for being an artist haven. Walking around the city, the park, the castle is a pleasure, it’s very pretty. The medieval town dates back to 1206. During the winter, people ski nearby.

Check out 716’s Cesis photo album

Hôtel Province
Niniera iela 6
Cesis LV-4101, Lettonie
http://www.province.lv/

Very cool, it’s a family guest house. The mom prepares breakfast (its famous over there! and it’s true, it’s huge), the son helps, or he goes skiing nearby:). You can also come eat here during the summers, as for me, I only saw the hotel part of it, and it was a pretty comical situation: I was their only client, and the only person that was sleeping there, so at night, I opened up the door to my own hotel pretty much:) ( 45 euros for the double, and 35 for the simple)

The Cesis Art Festival
the website

The event to not miss in the summer! It’s a very interesting festival, initiated in 2007, which combines different art forms: music, visual arts, theater, movies, performances.

Daumants Kalniņš’s jewelry workshop
Cēsu novads
Pils laukums 9, Cēsis
+371 29158436
kalninsdaumants@yahoo.com
http://kalve.cesis.lv

If you go visit the castle, I recommend that you go see the jewelry workshop. The man that runs it, Daumants Kalniņš, is a passionate individual that searches for the skills and culture of Baltic jewelry. He even wrote books about it, so the workshop visit goes far beyond the workshop itself.

The Castle

It’s the most well preserved castle from the Teutonic Order in Latvia. It was built in 1209, but today it looks like its 15th century version. It was made a military base in order to conquer Latvia’s current northern part, as well as Estonia, and to maintain order in these regions. It was damaged for the first time during the Livonian War (1558-1583) and then destroyed during a big fire in 1748, which also destroyed a big part of the city. After that, it became routine to use stone from the wreckage for construction.

In 1777, the Count Karl Eberhardt fon Zievers acquired the ruins, and built a new castle beside the old one, partly on the old fortifications. His family was the owner up until 1920, when the new Latvian republix expropriated the aristocrats. The irony of this whole story is that it was here, at the top of a tower, that the national Latvian flag was brandished on the 22nd of October, 1988, like an early taste of the independence that was to come in 1991.

The Rucka Artist Residence
Piebalgas iela 19, Cēsis, LV4101, Latvia
+371 25440039
http://www.rucka.lv/

I didn’t go but this is a residence where you can find artists, photographers, and film producers; as I told you, Cesis is known for it’s artistic vibe, this could be the opportunity to discover new young artists.

Skate park
6 Niniera iela
Cesis

The skate park is pretty dope, so don’t forget to go if you’re a skater.

Café Popular
Vienības laukums 1,
Cēsis, Cēsu pilsēta, LV-4101, Lettonie
+371 64 120 125

Réputé pour ses pizzas

Bazaar
Rīgas iela 25
Cēsis
https://www.facebook.com/cafe.bazaar.cesis

A nice bar that is also open on Sundays, the only one that was on this fall Sunday:). They have an awesome whisky-apple juice cocktail, called “Winnie poe”, the snacks however, are not crazy, but they fill you up.

Fonoklubs
Rīgas iela 47
Cēsis, LV-4101
http://www.fonoklubs.lv/

A bar/club that looks really cool.

Mākslas telpa Mala
Lielā Skolas iela 4
Cēsis
+371 28 236 453
https://www.facebook.com/telpamala

An art gallery, a coffee shop, an accessory shop, recommended by many tasteful Latvian friends: so even though I didn’t go there, I’m mentioning it here.

Ozolins pottery
the website

I was at a friend’s house in Cesis, and I couldn’t contain my excitement when I saw their awesome tea cups. They then told me that it was one of their friends that made them by hand.