Castles of Latvia - Sigulda Pils

Sigulda Pils Similar to last week's castle that we explored, this castle sits in ruins today. Sigulda Pils, located in the city of Sigulda, is northeast of Riga. Built in 1207, this fortress was constructed on the edge of a precipice overlooking the Guaja River by the Brothers of the Sword, part of the Livonian Order. Entrance Tower As we approached the reconstructed entrance tower, we were in awe of the sheer size of it. How could walls this large be built in the early 1200s? They didn't have the equipment we do back then. Drawing of original castle The original castle was quite large, as seen in the sketch to the left. The church was the main building inside the walls. It was interesting to see what the reconstructed fortress wall looked like on the inside. The soldiers had the different levels to protect the land side of the fortress, shooting through the small access windows. Reconstructed wall Chapel wall Notice the tiny holes in the outside wall for defense in th