| Rauna Castle | |
|---|---|
| Vidzeme, Rauna, Latvia | |
| Type | Castle |
| Built | 1262 |
| Built by | Archbishop of Riga |
| Demolished | 1683 |
| Current condition |
Ruins |
Rauna Castle (German: Rownenborgh, Ronneburg) ruins are located in the village of Rauna, in Cēsis District, Latvia.
Rauna castle was built in 1262 and became the winter residence of the Archbishop of Riga. The biggest reconstructions occurred under the reign of Archbishop Jasper Linde (reigned 1509–1524). One of the new towers built received the name Garais Kaspars "Tall Jasper", after the archbishop. A small settlement developed around the castle, which later became the village of Rauna.
The devastation of the castle started in 1556 with attacks from the Livonian Order, which lasted until the end of Livonian War. The worst damage to the castle occurred from 1657–1658, during the Second Northern War between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Swedish Empire. The castle was deserted after that and slowly turned to ruin. In 1683 the king of Sweden ordered the destruction of anything that resembled a fortress in the Rauna Castle, so all towers of the castle-front were demolished. Today the Rauna Castle ruins are preserved. Many walls and even the bases of the towers remain.
Turlajs, Janis, ed. Latvijas Celvedis. 2nd ed. Riga, Latvia: Jana Seta, 2007. 212.
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