Turaida Castle

A red-brick medieval castle in Turaida, within the Gauja National Park, originally built by the Archbishop of Riga in 1214 on a high sandstone bluff above the Gauja river. The castle was partially restored in the 20th century and its cylindrical main tower provides a viewpoint over the river valley and the forested sandstone cliffs opposite. The surrounding Turaida Museum Reserve encompasses the castle, a wooden church from 1750, historic farmsteads, and parkland carved into the forested hillside.