Cēsis Municipality () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Vidzeme Vidzeme (; Old Latvian orthography: ''Widda-semme'', ) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. The capital of Latvia, Riga, is situated in the southwestern part of the region. Literally meaning "the Middle Land", it is situated in north-centra ...

region of Latvia. The town of

Cēsis Cēsis (; (, , , ) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges above the river, overlooking the woods below. Cēsis was selected to b ...

is the administrative centre of the municipality. As of 2021, the region had a population of 41,161 inhabitants, making it the sixth most populated of the 36 municipalities in the country. The municipality was established during the administrative reform in 2009 and was expanded further in 2021. It consists of the town of Cēsis and 21 parishes.

History

Archeological evidence from the Cesis region have yielded tools from

stone age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

. The region was inhabited by early Baltic Tribes before the 10th century. The Cesis castle was commissioned in 1209, and served as the residence of the Grand Master of the German

Livonian Order The Livonian Order was an autonomous branch of the Teutonic Order, formed in 1237. From 1435 to 1561 it was a member of the Livonian Confederation. History The order was formed from the remnants of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword after thei ...

, who ruled over the lands of modern day Estonia and Latvia. The Lutheran church of St. John also dates to the time period. In the 13rd century, the Latvian flag was utilized in the region for the first time. The region was a location of a

mass suicide Mass suicide is a form of suicide, occurring when a group of people simultaneously kill themselves. Mass suicide sometimes occurs in religious settings. In war, defeated groups may resort to mass suicide rather than being captured. Suicide pacts ...

event in 1577, as nearly 300 inhabitants killed themselves during the Russian siege. The region played a key role in the

Latvian War of Independence The Latvian War of Independence (), sometimes called Latvia's freedom battles () or the Latvian War of Liberation (), was a series of military conflicts in Latvia between 5 December 1918, after the newly proclaimed Republic of Latvia was invade ...

and served as a cite of a battle in 1919. A monument has since been erected at the site of the battle. The municipality was established during the administrative reform in 2009. On 1 July 2021, the municipality was enlarged when Amata Municipality, Jaunpiebalga Municipality, Līgatne Municipality, Pārgauja Municipality, Priekuļi Municipality and

Vecpiebalga Municipality Vecpiebalga Municipality () is a former municipality in Vidzeme, Latvia. It ceased to exist on 1 July 2021, as its territory was merged into Cēsis Municipality as Vecpiebalga Parish. The municipality was formed in 2009 by merging Dzērbene Pa ...

were merged into it.

Geography

Cēsis municipality is a

located in

region of Latvia. It is spread over an area of . The town of

is the administrative centre of the municipality. It is bordered by the municipalities of

Smiltene Smiltene () is a town in the Vidzeme region in northern Latvia, 132 km northeast of the capital Riga, and the administrative centre of Smiltene Municipality. It has a population of 5,536 (2015). Name Its original name was Smiltesele (the end ...

Ogre An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world ...

Madona Madona (; ) is a town with town rights in the Vidzeme region of Latvia and is the center of the Madona municipality. History The surrounding area of Madona had been populated in earlier times, which is confirmed by discoveries of old buria ...

, and

Valmiera Valmiera () is the second largest city of the historical Vidzeme region, Latvia, with a total area of . As of 2002, Valmiera had a population of 27,323, and in 2020, it was at 24,879. It is a Administrative divisions of Latvia, state city, and ...

. It consists of the town of Cēsis and 21 parishes–

Amata According to Roman mythology, Amata (also called Palanto) was the wife of Latinus, king of the Latins, and the mother of their only child, Lavinia. In the Aeneid of Virgil, she commits suicide during the conflict between Aeneas and Turnus over ...

, Drabeši, Dzērbene, Ineši,

Jaunpiebalga Jaunpiebalga () is a village in Jaunpiebalga Parish, Cēsis Municipality in the Vidzeme
Latviešu vēsturisko zemju likums r ...

, Kaive Parish, Kaive, Liepa,

Līgatne Līgatne (; ) is a town in Līgatne Parish, Cēsis Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is situated on the Gauja, Gauja River. The village of Līgatne was built around the paper mill, still extant, on the River Ligatne (river), Līg ...

, Mārsnēni, Nītaure,

Priekuļi Priekuļi () is a village in Priekuļi Parish, Cēsis Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is situated 7 kilometres east of Cēsis and had 2,136 residents as of 2022. Climate Priekuļi has a humid continental climate (Köppen Köppe ...

, Raiskums, Skujene, Stalbe,

Straupe Straupe () is a village in Straupe Parish, Cēsis Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. History Before the village was founded, the area was a part of the ancient Idumea country. When the von Rosen family arrived, they first started buil ...

, Taurene, Vaive,

Vecpiebalga Vecpiebalga () is a village in Vecpiebalga Parish, Cēsis Municipality, in the Vidzeme region of Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic stat ...

, Veselava, Zaube, Zosēni. As of 2021, the region had a population of 41,161 inhabitants, making it the sixth most populated of the 36 municipalities in the country.

Sister cities

Cēsis is twinned with: *

Achim Achim (; Northern Low Saxon: ''Achem''), commonly Achim bei Bremen, is a municipality and the largest town (population 30,059 in December 2006) in the district of Verden, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the right bank of the Weser, a ...

, Germany *

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

, Azerbaijan *

Gatchinsky District Gatchinsky District () is an administrativeOblast Law #32-oz and municipalLaw #113-oz district (raion), one of the administrative divisions of Leningrad Oblast, seventeen in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southwestern central part o ...

, Russia *

Konstancin-Jeziorna Konstancin-Jeziorna is a spa town in Piaseczno County, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, with 17,566 inhabitants (as of March 2011, according to GUS). It is located about south of downtown Warsaw and is a part of the Warsaw metropolitan area. The t ...

, Poland *

Rakvere Rakvere is the administrative center, or county seat, of Lääne-Viru County in northern Estonia, about 100 km southeast of Tallinn and 20 km south of the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea. Rakvere boasts a distinctive architectural feature: th ...

, Estonia *

Rokiškis Rokiškis () is a list of cities in Lithuania, city in northeastern Lithuania, close to the Latvia–Lithuania border, with a population of 11,606 (2023). The city is a capital of the Rokiškis District Municipality with a population of 28,715 (20 ...

, Lithuania * Tyresö, Sweden *

Zhovkva Zhovkva is a List of cities in Ukraine, city in Lviv Raion, Lviv Oblast (Oblast, region) of western Ukraine. Zhovkva hosts the administration of Zhovkva urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Its population is approximately History A ...

, Ukraine *

Loutraki Loutraki () is a seaside resort on the Gulf of Corinth, in Corinthia, Greece. It is located west of Athens and northeast of Corinth. Loutraki is the seat of the municipality Loutraki-Perachora-Agioi Theodoroi. The town is known for its va ...

, Greece

Images

File:Cēsu novads COA 2010-2021.svg, alt=, Former coat of arms (2010–2021) File:Drabeši mõisa peahoone 2013. aastal.jpg, alt=, Drabeši Manor main building File:Lutheran church in Jaunpiebalga 10.jpg, alt=,

Jaunpiebalga Jaunpiebalga () is a village in Jaunpiebalga Parish, Cēsis Municipality in the Vidzeme
Latviešu vēsturisko zemju likums r ...

Lutheran Church File:Scenery of Līgatne.jpg, alt=, Scenery of

File:Stalbes vidusskola 2002-06-01 - panoramio.jpg, alt=, Stalbe Secondary School File:Priekuļi, ūdenstornis - panoramio.jpg, alt=, Water tower in

File:Vecpiebalga Manor House (1).jpg, alt=,

Manor

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cesis Municipality Municipalities of Latvia

History

Geography

Sister cities

Images

See also

References