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Description

This is the northern gate and a fortified tower of the medieval, 13th C. crusader red brick castle in Turaida (modern Latvia, medieval Livonia). The castle was built during the so called ‘northern crusades’ on territory conquered from pagan Balts and Livs by the crusaders. Located on the edge of the picturesque Gauja river valley, it was one of the main strongholds of prince archbishop of Riga – a great lord whose power in the region could only be matched by that of the Teutonic Master of Livonia. Turaida’s architecture is a fitting reflection of that position – it is the largest red brick castle in the region with powerful central tower that dominated the countryside at great distances. As a symbol of archbishop’s power, Turaida was besieged many times by pagan Lithuanians, Orthodox Rus and, most frequently, by the Teutonic knights eager to humiliate their proud rival. Despite these dangers, the castle survived as one of the major crusader strongholds in the East. Today, partially reconstructed, it still dominates the landscape of the river valley as it did nearly 800 years ago. It is a marvelous example of medieval gothic architecture in the East. With its red brick walls, vaults and towers, to me at least, it is the true red rose of Turaida.

The reason I refer to it as the true rose of Turaida is because ‘rose of Turaida’ is a title of a local, Latvian story. It takes place in the 17th C. when Latvia was ruled by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It is a story about a beautiful girl who lived near the castle but could not marry the one she loved because a vile Polish officer fell in love with her as well. You can check the rest of her story here – check it out, it’s a nice animation in English: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfFnb_…

Description

This is the northern gate and a fortified tower of the medieval, 13th C. crusader red brick castle in Turaida (modern Latvia, medieval Livonia). The castle was built during the so called ‘northern crusades’ on territory conquered from pagan Balts and Livs by the crusaders. Located on the edge of the picturesque Gauja river valley, it was one of the main strongholds of prince archbishop of Riga – a great lord whose power in the region could only be matched by that of the Teutonic Master of Livonia. Turaida’s architecture is a fitting reflection of that position – it is the largest red brick castle in the region with powerful central tower that dominated the countryside at great distances. As a symbol of archbishop’s power, Turaida was besieged many times by pagan Lithuanians, Orthodox Rus and, most frequently, by the Teutonic knights eager to humiliate their proud rival. Despite these dangers, the castle survived as one of the major crusader strongholds in the East. Today, partially reconstructed, it still dominates the landscape of the river valley as it did nearly 800 years ago. It is a marvelous example of medieval gothic architecture in the East. With its red brick walls, vaults and towers, to me at least, it is the true red rose of Turaida.

The reason I refer to it as the true rose of Turaida is because ‘rose of Turaida’ is a title of a local, Latvian story. It takes place in the 17th C. when Latvia was ruled by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It is a story about a beautiful girl who lived near the castle but could not marry the one she loved because a vile Polish officer fell in love with her as well. You can check the rest of her story here – check it out, it’s a nice animation in English: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfFnb_…