Ruins of the Rezekne Castle hill
The castle ruins is the oldest historical monument and one of the most significant places in Rezekne popular among tourists from which the river and part of the old city are observable.
The favourite place of residence of ancient Latgalians in the 9th to 12th centuries at the hill on the bank of the river where in the end of the 13th century, the Master of the Livonian Order, Wilhelm von Schauerburg (Vilhelms de Šauerburgs) built the order castle Rositten here. This name of the castle is the first known and documented name of Rezekne.
The castle served as the main supporting fort in the 14th century during the war with Russians and Lithuanians. After the war with Lithuania in the 14th century when Latgale became a neutral region for a very short period, craft and trade developed in Rezekne. After the fall of Livonia in the 16th century, Rezekne that was part of Poland at that time, decayed, and in the beginning of the 18th century, only ruins reminded that once mighty castle existed.
In the 20th century, there was an illuminated park, café and even a theatre among the ruins.
Opposite to the Rezekne castle hill, there is a model Rositten castle that shows how the castle hill could look like in the Medieval times.
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From 9th to the 13th century the embattled castle of ancient Latgalians was on the banks of the river. In 1285 the Rossiten castle was built by German holder of the order Wilhelm from Shurborg as the residence of the “Fogt” of Livonian order.
At the end of the 13th century, there was built the 2-story stone castle by the knights of Livonian order, its main part had 3 blocks and 3 story towers. To get into the castle one should have gone over the balance bridge, through 3 iron gates, and from the East-side entered the front castle.
Since the castle was a strategically significant object, it was desired to be occupied by Russians, Lithuanians, Poles, but it was totally destroyed by Swedes in 1656-1660. It was not rebuilt as a castle.
Beginning with 1712 the surrounding inhabitants were officially allowed to use the stones from the castle walls for the building of own houses and household buildings. Still, at the beginning of the last century, the living and household buildings were in the territory of the castle, but part of the castle was landscaped: there was the park, light, summer stage for the theater.
Today the castle hill is the most remarkable and most visited place in Rezekne. The marvelous sight to the center of the city and to the trading part of the city is opened from the hill.
At the beginning of 2003 (in 2019 it was renovated), the model of Rezekne castle was placed in the territory of SIA “Rēzeknes Ūdens” near the castle hill. The author of the model is Edmunds Smans, the teacher from Rezekne Technical College. It was placed there by the support of the public organization “Latvia History Park”. The model is open for the public only in the tourism season – from April to October.
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