Viļaka Castle ( lv, Viļakas pilsdrupas) (Mariensee Castle, Marienhausen, ) is a castle in
Balvi Municipality in the
Latgale
Latgale ( ltg, Latgola; ; ger, Lettgallen; be, Латгалія, Łathalija; pl, Łatgalia; la, Lettgallia), also known as Latgalia is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. It is the easternmost region and is north of the Daugava River. While m ...
region of
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
. The castle is located close to
Viļaka
Viļaka ( lv, Viļaka, ; ltg, Vileks; german: Marienhausen; russian: Виляка, ''Vilyaka''; Yiddish: ויליאקי, ''Vilyaki'') is a town in Balvi Municipality in the Latgale region of Latvia. The population in 2020 was 1,223. Viļaka is loc ...
town, on an island in the
Viļaka Lake. Built by
Archbishopric of Riga in 1342 as a wooden castle, rebuilt as a stone castle after 1516. The castle was destroyed in 1702 during the
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedi ...
. The outer walls are 1.6m thick, remaining fragments of the walls are up to 2 meters high.
See also
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List of castles in Latvia
This is the List of castles in Latvia, which includes fortified residences of Western European conquerors built in the area of present-day Latvia before the 17th century. There are about 140 medieval castles in the area, therefore this list is not ...
References
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Castles in Latvia
Castles of the Teutonic Knights
Balvi Municipality
Latgale
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