{"id":2301,"date":"2025-05-01T14:28:05","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T14:28:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cesustasti.lv\/visi-stasti\/cesis-castle-manor\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T18:46:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T18:46:13","slug":"cesis-castle-manor","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/cesustasti.lv\/en\/visi-stasti\/cesis-castle-manor\/","title":{"rendered":"C\u0113sis Castle Manor"},"content":{"rendered":"

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C\u0113sis Castle Manor is one of the most romantic sites in C\u0113sis, where the silhouette of the historic New Castle gradually emerges from the ruins of the ancient Livonian Order castle. Although the history of C\u0113sis Castle, the estates owned by its masters, and the buildings of C\u0113sis Castle Manor form an inseparable whole, in the “C\u0113sis Stories” project, we consider the mid-17th century as the beginning of the Castle Manor, when C\u0113sis Castle began to function solely as a manor. <\/p>\n

After Vidzeme came under Swedish rule in 1621, King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden granted C\u0113sis Castle and the town with all its appurtenances to the Swedish Chancellor, Count Axel Oxenstierna, in 1627. Initially, the Oxenstiernas took care of the castle’s maintenance\u2014in 1629, a significant amount of iron was purchased for the C\u0113sis fortifications, and in 1637, the stoves and windows were repaired.<\/x>In 1649, Axel’s son, Count Erik Oxenstierna, turned his attention to modernizing the manor’s economy, ordering the construction of the missing manor buildings in C\u0113sis at the lowest possible cost. 1653. In [Year], the regulations he issued provided for the establishment of a sheep farm in C\u0113sis with a flock of 100 head, importing sheep from Prussia. That same year, he commissioned the rampart master Sigvardo to create a plan of C\u0113sis Castle and the town, indicating further intentions for the castle’s use. However, these plans were not realized, and since the 1690s, C\u0113sis Castle has functioned solely as a manor. <\/p>\n

After Vidzeme was annexed by Russia in 1721, C\u0113sis Castle Manor became a public or state-owned manor. 1724. In [Year], the manor’s manager Georg Christoph von Grabaus wrote to the governor that, despite efforts to repair the manor buildings, they were not yet fully in order due to a lack of timber and workers. The letter mentions that a cattle shed was built last autumn, but a new threshing barn and granary were still needed. At this time, the manor buildings were made of wood, while the castle was abandoned.<\/x>In 1730, Empress Anna Ioannovna of Russia presented C\u0113sis Castle and the manor to her favorite, the Duke of Courland and Semigallia, Ernst Johann von Biron. Since Biron owned other, more valuable properties and primarily resided in Courland or Russia, he likely did not manage the manor himself but leased it out. 1744. In [Year], Empress Elizabeth I confiscated the castle and manor from Biron and gifted them to the Russian Chancellor Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin as a hereditary property.
\nIn 1731, the Chancellor sold the castle and town to Johann Gottlieb I von Wolff, whose family was active and energetic. The von Wolffs sought to organize the lands and buildings around the castle, develop livestock farming, and built the C\u0113sis Castle Manor house, or New Castle, using the ancient outer bailey buildings and the walls of the Lademacher Tower. <\/p>\n

However, the von Wolffs also acted cruelly\u2014they evicted 9 peasants from their homes to establish 2 new livestock manors, and the peasants’ corv\u00e9e labor obligations increased rapidly. 1771. In [Year], the peasants of C\u0113sis Castle Manor complained to the Governor-General of Vidzeme, and in 1776, their complaint was also submitted to the Russian heir to the throne, Paul I, when he stopped in Stalbe to change horses. These complaints were ultimately rejected, and the author of the complaint, \u017dagaru Kri\u0161us, was severely punished.<\/x>In 1777, the von Wolffs sold the castle manor to Karl Eberhard von Sievers, beginning the von Sievers family’s 143-year reign over five generations. 1821. In [Year], the manor was inherited by Karl Gustav von Sievers, who around 1825 began creating the C\u0113sis Castle romantic landscape park, initially only for his family, but later opening it to the residents of C\u0113sis with special permits.<\/x>In the 1840s, a well-known hydropathic clinic was established in C\u0113sis. 1841. In [Year], Dr. Georg Heinrich Meyer, with the support of Count K.G. von Sievers, began treatments using the water found in C\u0113sis, with excellent results. 1843.-1845. In [Year], this healing water became known in St. Petersburg and Moscow, and many Russian nobles traveled to C\u0113sis for treatment. Meyer’s 1846 treatise on the hydropathic clinic became the first C\u0113sis tourist guide. <\/p>\n

After the death of K.G. von Sievers, the castle manor was inherited by his son, Emanuel von Sievers the Elder. During his time, around 1854, a small observation tower was built on the R tower of the castle ruins, and by 1857, it was already being used by the “Livonia” corporation for its commercia.<\/x>In 1909, Emanuel von Sievers the Younger inherited C\u0113sis Castle Manor; he left for Russia in December 1915 and never returned to C\u0113sis. He died on December 7, 1919, in the city of Yessentuki, Russia. <\/p>\n

After the 1920 agrarian reform, the New Castle was nationalized, and in 1922, the Count’s heirs sold the remaining real estate on the C\u0113sis Castle Manor territory for 45,000 gold lats. <\/p>\n

Today, the C\u0113sis Castle Manor complex features the New Castle (now the C\u0113sis Castle Museum), one of the few 18th-century manor houses in Latvia built into a medieval castle fortification system. The castle complex also includes other historic buildings\u2014the stable-coach house (now the Exhibition Hall), the manor granary, the former brewery and tavern, as well as the romantic park with its pond and monuments. <\/p>\n

The materials used for the description are:<\/em>
\nIlma Z\u0101l\u012bte, MA in History and the C\u0113sis Rotary Club project “Tour of C\u0113sis Manors”<\/x>Collections of the C\u0113sis Castle Museum and C\u0113sis Central Library<\/x>Agris Dzenis, MA in History, study “History of C\u0113sis Castle”<\/g>
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The estates of C\u0113sis Castle Manor never formed a single contiguous territory but were scattered throughout the C\u0113sis area.<\/p>\n

Count Karl Gustav von Sievers established various rest areas, hills, and viewpoints in the romantic castle park, naming them after his family members\u2014Charlotte\u2019s Island, Alexander\u2019s Hill, Minadora\u2019s Hill, and Emanuel\u2019s Hill with a terrace.
\nIn the 1840s, the water from the hydropathic clinic established on the grounds of C\u0113sis Castle Manor was considered superior to the famous Gr\u00e4fenberg water in Bavaria. <\/p>\n

Facts<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \n
  • 1627: King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden grants C\u0113sis Castle and the town to Count Axel Oxenstierna<\/li>\n
  • 1649: Count Erik Oxenstierna orders the construction of the missing manor buildings in C\u0113sis<\/li>\n
  • 1653: E. Oxenstierna’s regulations provide for the establishment of a sheep farm in C\u0113sis with a flock of 100 head <\/li>\n
  • Late 17th century: C\u0113sis Castle functions solely as a manor <\/li>\n
  • 1721: After Vidzeme is annexed by Russia, C\u0113sis Castle Manor becomes a public or state-owned manor<\/li>\n
  • 1730: Empress Anna Ioannovna of Russia presents C\u0113sis Castle and the manor to Duke Ernst Johann von Biron<\/li>\n
  • 1744: The castle and manor are confiscated from Biron and gifted to Chancellor Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin<\/li>\n
  • 1755: Bestuzhev-Ryumin sells the castle and town to Johann Gottlieb I von Wolff<\/li>\n
  • 1777: Karl Eberhard von Sievers purchases the castle manor<\/li>\n
  • 1781: The stable-coach house is built (as indicated by the date on the weather vane)<\/li>\n
  • 1821: Karl Gustav von Sievers inherits the castle manor<\/li>\n
  • 1825: Work begins on the romantic park of C\u0113sis Castle<\/li>\n
  • 1832\u20131833: A park (now May Park) is established opposite the castle tavern<\/li>\n
  • 1841: With the Count’s support, Dr. G. Meyer opens a hydropathic clinic<\/li>\n
  • 1846: A treatise on the hydropathic clinic is published\u2014the first C\u0113sis tourist guide<\/li>\n
  • 1856: Count Emanuel von Sievers the Elder inherits the castle manor<\/li>\n
  • 1878: The brewery building is constructed<\/li>\n
  • 1909: Emanuel von Sievers the Younger inherits the castle manor<\/li>\n
  • 1914: The Riga Society of History and Antiquity Researchers completes the preservation of the R tower<\/li>\n
  • 1920: The castle is nationalized during the Latvian agrarian reform<\/li>\n
  • 1922: The Count’s heirs sell the manor properties<\/li>\n
  • 1935: The city board begins landscaping the park<\/li>\n
  • 1949: The C\u0113sis Museum is established in the New Castle building<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1029,"template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[204,312],"product_tag":[243],"class_list":{"0":"post-2301","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"product_cat-cesis-house","7":"product_cat-manor","8":"product_tag-manor","10":"first","11":"instock","12":"shipping-taxable","13":"product-type-simple"},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cesustasti.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/2301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cesustasti.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cesustasti.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cesustasti.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cesustasti.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cesustasti.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=2301"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cesustasti.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=2301"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cesustasti.lv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=2301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}