The ruins of the medieval castle of the Cathedral Chapter are located in Krimulda, which is now part of the city of Sigulda. The castle is situated on an elevated spot at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ancient valley of the Gauja River, on a hill with steep slopes. The ruins should be sought on the right (western) bank of the Gauja River and its tributary Vikmeste, just a five-minute walk from the funicular stop. Nearby, at 3 Mednieku Street, is the Krimulda Manor. Settlements have existed on both banks of the winding Gauja since ancient times. Starting from the 2nd–3rd millennium BC, Finno-Ugric tribes lived here. The cultural layer of the same Krimulda hillfort indicates that active life has continued here for more than one millennium. In the 11th century, the Livs, later called the Gauja Livs, settled the banks of the Gauja. Their main settlements were around Turaida, Sigulda, and Krimulda. The lands inhabited by the Livs were divided into castle districts governed by elders. They lived in wooden castles on fortified hillforts.
Before discussing the stone castle in Krimulda, it should be mentioned that several Liv hillforts have long been known here. One of them is the Karlakalns Hill (Karlis’ Mountain). This fortified Liv hillfort is located on the bank of the ancient Gauja hollow, between the Gutmanis Cave and Turaida, surrounded by a small rampart and moat. The boundaries of the hillfort are the Ratakalns (Wheel Mountain) and Igaunju (Estonian) ravines, up to 40 meters deep. The foreburg of the hillfort is separated from the main square by a rampart 6.5 meters high. A path leads to the Karlakalns hillfort. Ratakalns Hill is a flat knoll overgrown with deciduous trees, located on the bank of the ancient Gauja hollow between the Vikmeste River and Karlakalns Hill. It is assumed that Ratakalns was once a place of execution where medieval German feudal lords and priests dealt with peasants.
From Ratakalns Hill, crossing the Vikmeste ravine to its opposite bank, stands the Vikmeste hillfort, also called Suvorov Hill, named after the Governor-General of Livonia who visited the site in 1854. Most of the hillfort is artificial. On the gentle side, it is separated from the flat terrain by an embankment. In front of the embankment stretches a moat 3 meters deep. The hillfort is overgrown with dense forest. It was assumed that the Vikmeste hillfort was the castle of the Liv chieftain Kaupo – Kubesele, mentioned in old chronicles, but this has not yet been confirmed.
A more widespread version is that Kubesele’s hillfort was near the so-called Kubesele Church (now Krimulda Church), one of the first Christian churches of medieval Livonia. As is known, churches at that time were built near fortified castles and hillforts. However, archaeological excavations in 1991 have not yet confirmed this version. Nevertheless, a separate page on our site is dedicated to the presumed Kubesele hillfort and Krimulda Church: Kubesele. Even with Kaupo’s main castle in Turaida, there is no full clarity – whether a stone castle stands on its site or it was built nearby.
In the late 12th century, German merchants sought to control the waterways of the Gauja, aiming to expand connections with the Old Russian lands and strengthen their influence in the northeast. Along with German merchants, Catholic missionaries arrived in the Liv lands at the end of the 12th century. In Turaida, as mentioned in the "Livonian Chronicle," in 1191, Brother Theoderich of the Cistercian order baptized the first Liv. It was Theoderich who, by order of the Riga bishop Albert, founded the military-monastic Order of the Sword Brothers in 1202 to subjugate the Baltic lands, as most of the Livs resisted the arrival of Christianity.
The lands captured here by the Order were finally divided in 1224. One bank of the Gauja went to the Sword Brothers Order, and the other to the Riga bishop and the Cathedral Chapter. Although formally all three structures formed a single state (the Livonian Confederation from the 15th century, a principality within the Holy Roman Empire until the 15th century), they quarreled with each other no less often than with external enemies. Thus, on the banks of the Gauja, relatively close to each other, three castles were established to protect the surrounding lands from neighbors’ encroachments – Segewold (Sigulda), belonging to the Order; Fredeland or Treiden (Turaida), as the archbishop’s possession; and Cremon (Krimulda). The last was the castle of the Cathedral Chapter.
With this division, all the lands of the ancient inhabitants within the current Gauja National Park lost their independence and came under the rule of German feudal lords. The lands on the right bank of the Gauja belonged to the Riga archbishop until the mid-16th century, and on the left bank to the Livonian Order. This strip of land belonging to the Order, only a few dozen kilometers wide, is known in medieval history literature as the Gauja Corridor. The Gauja Corridor connected the Livonian Order’s lands in Estonia with those in southern Latvia and simultaneously divided the Riga archbishop’s lands into two parts.
The Riga archbishop and the Livonian Order were two mutually competing groups of conquerors whose relations later became openly hostile. Therefore, the construction of their castles continued both during the conquest of the Baltics and afterward. A vassal of the Riga archbishop built Lielstraupe Castle in the second half of the 13th century, and the Riga Cathedral Chapter built Krimulda Castle. In turn, the Order built Aris Castle in the 14th century. Thus, due to historical circumstances, six castles are now located within the small area of Gauja National Park – Aris, Cesis, Krimulda, Lielstraupe, Sigulda, and Turaida. This small territory has the highest concentration of stone castles not only in the Baltics but in all of Europe.
The Cathedral Chapter, which owned Krimulda Castle, was the council of the Riga archbishop, an important force in church affairs and political life in Livonia. Canons – members of the Cathedral Chapter – had the right to advise the archbishop, control the division of fiefs, and appoint new priests. According to canon law, they had the right to elect the archbishop, but until the 16th century, the decisive word in archbishop elections belonged to the Pope. The first archbishop independently chosen by the Cathedral Chapter was Thomas Schenning. The vote took place on February 6, 1528, in Turaida Castle. The canons lived in the monastery of the Riga Cathedral Church. According to the statutes, they shared meals, slept in a common dormitory, and lived according to monastic rules.
Initially, 12 canons lived in the Cathedral monastery in Riga, following the canons of the Augustinian monks, and from 1209 to 1374, the Cathedral Chapter consisted of 13 canons who followed the rules of the Premonstratensian monastic order. To support the lords, the chapter received large land allotments from the first bishop of Riga, and in the 14th and 15th centuries, the district of the Kizbele (Kubesele) community with its center in Krimulda, where the chapter’s vogt lived, was under the chapter’s control. At the end of the 15th century, members of the Cathedral Chapter, according to the Pope’s acceptance, began to live separately, dividing the property.
Then, in the early 16th century, the number of canons was reduced from 12 to 7, as it became impossible to support all the canons on the Cathedral Chapter’s funds. When in the early decades of the 16th century some members of the chapter were allocated chapter estates and castles, only the estates of Krimulda Castle remained undivided – and they supplied food to the other members of the chapter, who lived only on a salary.
To support the members of the Cathedral Chapter, the Riga bishop allocated several estates, the largest of which was the district of the Kubesele community (Krimulda). The Cathedral Chapter received this district from the Riga bishop before 1231. Then, on August 16, 1248, Bishop Nicholas issued a decree in Turaida confirming the property given to the Cathedral Chapter by Bishop Albert and subsequent additions, which the chapter had continuously managed. This included: Salaspils Church with tithes from the village of Doles Island; Ikšķile Church with tithes; Krimulda (Kizbele parish) with all spiritual and secular rights over 12 villages of this parish, as well as rights to tithes from three other villages in the Birini estate area – the parish boundaries ran along the Vikmeste River to the sea, and in width from Kisupe to the Gauja; as well as patronage and archdeacon rights in Riga and the aforementioned churches.
The chapter’s ownership was also confirmed in Turaida, Lielvarde, and much more in the Curonian areas. A stone house on the Daugava for the needs of the crusaders, for which the bishop would receive half a mark of silver annually; a quarter of the island Veizaksala; in addition, the bishop gave the cathedral chapter his school books worth 60 marks.
The same bishop, by a decree issued in Turaida and Riga the same year, transferred to the provost of the Cathedral Chapter the rights of archdeacon throughout Zemgale, and in perpetual possession of the chapter with all spiritual and temporal rights transferred half of his lands in Zemgale, which were annexed to the Riga bishopric by Pope Innocent IV on March 3, 1251.
According to a document issued on August 31, 1252, in Turaida, Bishop Nicholas permanently transferred to the cathedral chapter from his "table lands" the power of secular court in three villages (Krimulda’s Lauga (Lange), Birini, and Eikaji), where the chapter had already collected tithes, and ceded his fiefdom over the Liv district of Epele, giving it along with fields, apiaries, fishing places, meadows, and other appurtenances to the cathedral chapter. To prevent descendants from objecting that the alienation of the bishop’s table lands was unlawful, Nicholas stated that he had bought much more property from secular persons with his own money and annexed it to the bishop’s table lands than he had alienated.
Thus, over time, the Cathedral Chapter built its castle in Krimulda, presumably during the time of Archbishop Albert II Sauerberg. It is assumed that the castle was built by the Riga Cathedral Chapter from 1255 to 1273.
Krimulda stone castle became the economic center of the region. Unlike the heavily fortified Turaida and Sigulda, Krimulda’s fortification layout is quite simple. Probably because its role was more economic-representative than defensive. The chapter’s castles were used as refuges in times of war, but their main functions were economic. Therefore, for example, in Krimulda Castle, the residential part was a small fortified stone building, while the wide courtyard, or foreburg, surrounded by a protective wall, could contain warehouses or other wooden economic buildings.
As Armin Tuulse writes: initially, only one tower was erected here, traces of which are still visible in the foundation today. From the tower as the first support point, the castle gradually expanded over time: first the tower itself, then a residential castle resembling a palace appeared; in subsequent periods, a large foreburg was added, which, however, did not exactly follow the shape of the hill but approached a more regular structure. Therefore, not all features of the terrain were used in the sequence seen in early Order castles. The location on a ridge of hills does not so much strengthen the fortification as provide control over the immediate surroundings. Unlike Treiden, in Cremon mainly boulders were used as building material.
During Livonia times, the Cathedral Chapter simultaneously owned two or three castles – in the second half of the 13th century, these were Vecdole and Dundaga; in the 14th century – Dole, Krimulda, and Dundaga; and in the 15th–16th centuries – Dole, Krimulda, and Suntazi. All these castles were used as military strongholds in times of war, but their main functions were economic. The scattered lands of the chapter within the archbishopric were united into a vogtship with the administrative center in Krimulda. Like the archbishop, the Cathedral Chapter had its vogts – one in Krimulda, another in Dundaga Castle.
Handling judicial cases, the vogt paid the chapter several dozen marks annually. Because of the right to judge, Latvians called the vogt a judge. The judge also had the right to collect taxes and duties, managed the chapter’s economy in his district, and had the right to lend seeds to peasants on behalf of the Cathedral Chapter.
Part of the priests’ income had to be paid further to the Roman Curia. It is known that in 1319 Pope John XXII established a waiting period (triennio reservationis) for the Riga church province, during which income from vacant parish churches had to be paid to the Pope’s treasury. From the district of Krimulda Castle (advokatia castri de Cremon), eighteen marks of silver were due, and in total from the Riga archbishopric, 72 marks or about 14.8 kilograms of silver.
At the same time, there is no reliable information about which lands were ruled by the bishop and which by the chapter, and the ownership of particular villages was often unclear even between the two rulers, as in 1471 Bishop Tirgarten disputed with his chapter over some lands.
In written sources, Krimulda is first mentioned as a castle captured by the Livonian Order in 1312. In the investigation protocol during the interrogation of witnesses by papal legate Francesco of Moliano in 1312, the castle Cremun is mentioned as the property of the archbishopric, illegally seized by the Order. In 1318, Pope John XXII, in a letter to the Order’s master, named the castles occupied by the Order, mentioning among others Krimulda (Cremun). In historical documents of 1463, the castle’s name is written as Cremon, Crammon. In 1504 as Cremoen. In 1542 as Cremona (not to be confused with the city of Cremona in the Italian region of Lombardy!).
Except for this short period when Krimulda Castle belonged to the Order, it remained in the hands of the cathedral chapter until the invasion of Ivan the Terrible’s Moscow troops into Livonia and the secularization of the Riga archdiocese in 1566.
About some land rearrangements in the district of Krimulda Castle at the end of the 15th century. On May 20, 1496, the Riga Cathedral Chapter sold and granted as a fief to one Ansis Engelhard the estate Azgali or Bulli (hoff tho Azegall, enderes Billenhoff genomet) of the Krimulda community. One of the conditions was that the vassal would go to war on his horse and in his armor, but at the chapter’s expense, both within and outside the chapter’s lands, on water and land, and whenever necessary.
After the Livonian War, when Livonia (Vidzeme) came under the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland, the Duchy of Parduava or Inflanty was formed within the Polish-Lithuanian state. Some time later, Inflanty was divided into three presidencies, which in turn were divided into twenty-six starosties. The Gauja retained its status as a border river, as Turaida and Krimulda became part of the Pärnu presidency, and Sigulda – the Cesis presidency. At the same time, Turaida, Krimulda, and Sigulda were centers of the established starosties. It is assumed that the first owner of the Krimulda estate was Colonel Leonhard Kvitlich of the Polish army, who in 1592 mortgaged the property to Chancellor Bertram Holdshuer.
In 1582 and 1590, an inventory of the castle was conducted, the materials of which are now kept in Lithuania. In spring 1601, the castle was captured by the Swedes, who also conducted a land revision in the Krimulda castle district. Thanks to descriptions of Polish inventories from the late 16th century, a Swedish plan from the 17th century, and other historical documents, it is known what the castle in Krimulda looked like.
Krimulda is a hilltop castle, whose main defense on the north, east, and southeast sides was provided by the steep, cliff-like banks of the ancient valleys of the Gauja and its tributary Vikmeste. The castle had one courtyard surrounded by a stone defensive wall 1.5–2 meters thick, forming an irregular polygon adapted to the shape of the castle hill. On the southwest side, the castle was protected by an artificially dug moat, now crossed by the Sigulda-Krimulda road. According to the 17th-century plan, a wooden bridge led over the moat to the foreburg or manor, surrounded by a palisade fence. A small castle settlement was located in front of the fortress.
In the southern corner of the castle courtyard was the main, presumably three-story residential building, rectangular in plan. It housed living and representative rooms. The hall possibly served as a refectory. The other floors served economic and military functions. Probably, the first floor had a kitchen, the third floor a storage room, and the attic was intended for defense. There were also three vaulted cellars under the dining room and kitchen on the first floor.
The rather spacious castle courtyard had, on the southwest side near the residential building, a gate tower 9.5 meters wide, from which a drawbridge led over the deep castle moat to the presumed foreburg with palisades and water-filled moats. The main gates, protected by the drawbridge, were located close to the main building. Additionally, the castle had a small square tower on the north side, protecting approaches from the Vikmeste river ravine.
The castle was built of stone, with bricks used for finishing openings. Besides the 19th-century wall, the foundation of the surrounding southern wall built of limestone mortar and boulders up to 1 meter in size is visible above ground from the medieval ruins. On the eastern side of the summit, the foundation of the surrounding wall reaches up to 2 meters thick at ground level. Limestone blocks were also used at the castle corners.
In autumn 1601, during the Swedish-Polish war, the Swedish army occupied Krimulda Castle, which, unable to hold it, burned it during retreat to prevent the Poles from using it as a stronghold. Count Johann von Nassau ordered the castle to be burned. Later, the castle apparently was not restored, although it is still mentioned in 17th-century sources. After Livonia was occupied by Sweden, the castle passed into private ownership, and the new owners did not undertake its restoration.
In the Swedish revision of 1624, it was noted that the castle was burned out, and in the residential building there was one good vaulted room with a chimney but no windows, as well as a cellar beneath it. On the territory were a small wing with a tiled stove but without doors or windows, a vaulted kitchen, two wooden sheds, two log rooms, and a riga. In 1625, Swedish King Gustav II Adolf gifted Sigulda and Krimulda to State Councilor Gabriel Bengtsson Oxenstierna.
In the 1638 plow revision, it is mentioned that near the castle there is a river and a pond where a mill once stood, now completely destroyed; also, a former tavern stands empty. Swedish military engineers in the 17th century made a plan of the castle and a drawing of the facade facing the Gauja. The drawings note that the castle is completely desolate.
During the reduction of estates, Krimulda passed to the state but was later returned to the heirs of the Oxenstierna family. In 1664, Krimulda was first mortgaged to the Helmersen family. From 1680, due to unpaid debts, the estate passed to the Helmersens. In 1726, Count Georg Oxenstierna transferred his inheritance rights to Captain Karl von Helmersen, and Krimulda estate remained the Helmersen family’s hereditary possession until 1817.
In 1794, the ruins of the castle were drawn and described by I.K. Brotze. Also, in 1910, the ancient places by the Gauja were visited and sketched by artist K. Ungern-Sternberg, who left images of the surrounding nature and castles in Cesis, Aris, Turaida, Sigulda, and Krimulda.
Interestingly, the descendants of the Liv chieftain Kaupo gave rise to the von Lieven family, who regained Krimulda in the 17th–19th centuries. Krimulda remained under Swedish control until 1817, when the estate was purchased from Captain Helmersen’s family for 60,875 silver rubles by Prince Johann Georg (Ivan Andreevich) Lieven (1775–1848). Krimulda estate flourished under the Lieven princes, who managed it for three generations: from 1817 to 1921.
Prince Johann Georg (Ivan Andreevich) was the son of Baroness Charlotte Karlovna von Lieven, the famous governess of Emperor Paul I’s children, who received the Mezotne estate for her merits. She greatly influenced the upbringing not only of Paul I’s daughters but also of the grand dukes – future Russian Emperors Nicholas I and Michael Pavlovich. On the day of Emperor Nicholas I’s coronation, August 22 (September 3), 1826, by a personal Highest Decree, State Lady Countess Charlotte Karlovna Lieven, with her descendants, was elevated to princely dignity of the Russian Empire with the title of Serene Highness, becoming the only woman in Russian history to earn both count and princely titles by her own merits.
The new building of the Krimulda manor arose on the site of the old outer castle of Krimulda during Johann Georg Lieven’s time, around 1822 – the architect is unknown, but the manor house is one of the brightest examples of Classicism in Latvian manor architecture. Other sources mention different construction dates for the manor house – 1848 and even 1854, which is unlikely unless referring to some reconstructions.
Portraits from the 1830s of Prince Johann Lieven and Princess Maria Lieven (née Anrep) on the information stand at Krimulda Manor mention only Johann Georg’s "successful military career." Behind these words lies much more. From his appointment on November 16, 1796, as adjutant to the heir, Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich, to participation in the Russo-Prussian-French war against the French in 1806–1807, where he was wounded in the leg at Preussisch-Eylau. In 1810–1811, he took part in the Russo-Turkish war; at the start of the 1812 war, he commanded the 10th Infantry Division. In the 1813 campaign, Lieven’s division was part of General F.V. Osten-Sacken’s corps. Lieven participated in battles of the 1813 campaign: the Battle of Leipzig, the battle near Pulawy, the capture of Częstochowa, the siege of Breslau fortress, and the battle of Katzbach. In the 1814 campaign, he fought at Brienne-le-Château and La Rothière, where he was wounded in the right side. He resigned in 1815.
His wife (since 1817) was Maria Romanovna von Anrep (1797–1839), daughter of Lieutenant General R.K. Anrep and sister of Joseph Anrep; she was educated at the Smolny Institute, graduating with a gold cipher (1815). For her husband’s merits, on February 29, 1828, she was awarded the Order of Saint Catherine (small cross) as a cavalier lady. Four of their six children were born in Krimulda. Their son Paul Herman (Pavel Ivanovich) Lieven (1821–1881), born in Krimulda, was the next owner of the manor. He also owned estates in Yaroslavl, Livonia, Courland, and Nizhny Novgorod provinces. He was married to Countess Natalia Fyodorovna von der Pahlen (1842–1920), granddaughter of the same Count Pahlen, the assassin of Emperor Paul I. His military career was successful, though not as brilliant as his father’s; on November 6, 1861, he was discharged "to be assigned to civil affairs" with the rank of State Councilor.
From 1861 to 1862, during the Peasant Reform, he was elected the district leader of the nobility of Goldingen (Kuldiga). In 1862, he was made chamberlain and elected leader of the Livonia nobility, participating in agrarian reforms. From 1870, he was a privy councilor, Ober-Ceremonienmeister, and vice-president of the Chapter of Imperial and Royal Orders. As of 1880, he was also the manager of the Expedition of Ceremonial Affairs of the Imperial Court Ministry.
In 1853, Paul Herman Lieven ordered the area around the castle to be tidied up, especially since Krimulda was given to Governor-General Suvorov as a summer residence, where foreign guests were also received. Lieven was the first landowner in Vidzeme Switzerland to create a romantic park on his estate on the right bank of the Gauja with many promenades and two wooden staircases – the first with 380 steps from the Vikmeste ravine, and the second with 325 steps leading from the city park to the crossing over the Gauja.
At the request of Serene Highness Prince Lieven, historian Herman von Brüning conducted excavations in the ruins of the medieval Krimulda castle in 1861–1863, uncovering the foundations of the gate tower, residential building, and North tower. A museum was planned, but the finds – a crucifix, shards, stove tiles, some bronze and metal objects – were not significant enough to realize the plan. Unfortunately, little information exists about these excavations. Some antiquities found on the territory of Krimulda Castle were transferred to the then Cathedral Museum.
In the summer of 1857, artist Julius Dering visited Vidzeme, familiarizing himself with Sigulda, Krimulda, Turaida, Cesis, and Koknese. In his memoir notes about Krimulda, he noted the romantic ruins, which, awaiting the arrival of the tsar, were ordered to be excavated by Prince Lieven in 1862, revealing many foundations of walls and various ancient weapons and other items.
Until the 1920s, the study of medieval castles was carried out by Baltic Germans, who counted all stone castles of the Livonian period and collected information from written sources and images about them. After the excavations, the walls of Krimulda Castle were restored. Since it is unknown how much of the architectural remains above ground existed before, it is difficult to assess the volume of new construction. In this regard, an interesting note in one archival document related to the preparation of the Paulucci album mentions Krimulda as one of the castles whose plan could not be depicted because the walls were not visible above ground. The appearance of the ruins of Krimulda Castle before this construction is evidenced by I.K. Brotze’s 1794 drawing – instead of the newly built wall, only two narrow fragments without any openings remained at the end of the 18th century.
Following the romantic fashion of the time for creating artificial ruins in manor parks, Paul Herman Lieven reconstructed the ruins of the medieval Krimulda castle, building up the outer walls of the southwest corner building on the ancient foundation with two decorative pseudo-Gothic window openings. As is known, in the 19th century, artificial ruins were also built, so it is possible that the "restoration" of Krimulda Castle ruins was rather a romantic new construction. Now, a century and a half later, the walls restored in the 1860s have greatly deteriorated, and it is difficult to say where the old wall fragments uncovered during excavations are and where the walls were completely rebuilt.
As modern guides write: the beautiful park of the von Lieven family was known to Russian Emperor Alexander II himself, who visited Krimulda with his wife and entourage during his visit to Livonia on July 11–12, 1862. Considering Lieven’s position and the presence of the Livonian Governor-General in Krimulda, this was not just a casual visit but a fully official one, prepared for several years. An example is the "serpentine path" connecting Krimulda with Turaida, built for Alexander II’s visit. The path has been restored several times since.
There is even a plaque stating that in 1996 it was restored by Latvian and American student volunteers.
In 1912, the ruins of the medieval Krimulda castle were studied by the well-known researcher Karl von Lewis of Menar. He copied the 17th-century plan of Krimulda Castle in the Stockholm military archives at the end of the 19th century. In the ruins of the residential building at the first-floor level, Lewis of Menar found five rooms and measured the building’s size. With Latvia’s independence, many landowners lost their estates as part of agrarian reform.
In 1921, the last owner of the manor, Paul (Pavel Ivanovich) Lieven (1875–1963), was forced to emigrate from Latvia with his family. In exile, he retained warm feelings for Krimulda, where he spent his childhood: "It is hard to describe in words the mood evoked by the beauty of the landscape, but for me, it is the closest corner to my heart. There is no factory smoke, no electric poles, no luxurious hotels or gaudy posters. There is nature as God created it."
After World War I, the Latvian Red Cross became the owner of the palace in Krimulda and opened a sanatorium for children on the estate. In summer 1922, under Professor Yankovsky’s leadership, the Latvian Red Cross established the first State Bone Tuberculosis Sanatorium. In 1928, after adding a second floor, the sanatorium had 200 beds. Artist Erwin Wolfeil painted a watercolor view of the ruins of Krimulda Castle in 1927.
From 1948, the sanatorium operated a general education nine-year school with instruction in Latvian and Russian. After the war, the sanatorium was restored and resumed operation in 1954. According to other sources, since 1952, the "Krimulda" sanatorium was the only place where patients with femoral head disease – Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease – were treated. These children were treated for long periods, 2–2.5 years. The full recovery rate reached 84%.
The road from Sigulda to the tuberculosis sanatorium and children’s sanatorium across the Gauja by the bridge was more than 8 km. Therefore, in 1969, it was decided to build a cable car to "kill several birds with one stone" – to reach Krimulda, create an unprecedented attraction in the Baltics, and promote Gauja National Park, opened in 1974. Experienced specialists from Georgian Chiatura, where a whole network of passenger cable cars already existed, were invited for design and construction.
Until 1991, the facility functioned as a tuberculosis sanatorium with two departments: the first treated bone diseases, and the second was for preschool children with active tuberculosis. In 1992, following the reorganization of the children’s sanatorium network, the rehabilitation hospital "Krimulda" could accommodate 160 children with orthopedic disorders, consequences of injuries, and osteomyelitis in remission.
In 2002, the enterprise was privatized – since June 26, 2002, a private company, LLC Rehabilitation Center "Krimulda," operates here. In the 2000s, there was an attempt to sell the estate for 8,500,000 lats.
Within Gauja National Park, Aris and Krimulda castles are the worst preserved, with upper floors demolished and the lower parts preserved only at cellar level. Nowadays, the castles in the park receive less attention for various reasons. Small maintenance works have been carried out at Krimulda Castle, which, however, should be continued annually to create a landscape and strengthen the ruins.
On June 10–11, 2021, the rehabilitation center at Krimulda estate held an open day with a tour of the garden and some buildings of the former von Lieven estate. From Sigulda to Krimulda, as mentioned, the shortest route is by cable car, which allowed photographing panoramas of the ancient Gauja valley; interesting panoramas could also be photographed from the tower of the manor house of Krimulda estate. Locals call the main building the "house with columns."
Visiting these places is best in autumn. As poets write about autumn – donning a yellow-orange cloak and a brown beret, she comes to the slopes of the ancient Gauja valley, painting the landscape with new and new colors. Autumn colors patiently, as if evaluating every line, and people climbing the steep steps to the ruins of Krimulda Castle stand in awe, seeing trees dressed in gold and purple.
This hillfort, also called Suvorov Hill, rises on the right bank of the Vikmeste at the confluence of two side ravines, less than a kilometer northwest of the ruins of Krimulda Castle. The foreburg at the Vikmeste hillfort is absent. Now the hillfort is overgrown with dense undergrowth.
In the second half of the 19th century, the hillfort was named "Suvorov Hill" in memory of the Livonian Governor-General Suvorov, who visited the hillfort many times. A mighty oak near the path leading from Krimulda to the hillfort is also named after Suvorov. Some historians associate the event mentioned in the chronicle with the Vikmeste hillfort, when in 1206 Kaupo, together with the Germans, killed his retinue, plundered, and burned the castle.
Tourists with limited time can take a shorter route from the river valley to the ruins of Krimulda Castle by climbing the Vikmeste cliff. This is the steepest and highest ascent in Sigulda (380 steps). From the cliff, there is a wide view of Ratakalns Hill, the Gleznotaju (Painters’) cliff, and the magnificent Gauja valley.
