The Araisi Lake Castle is located in the settlement of Ayrasi, which is 7 kilometres south of Cesis. The castle is a reconstruction of an ancient Latgalian castle on the water. Ancient Latgalian buildings of the 9th century have been reconstructed by taking as a basis remnants of wooden structures and various ancient objects found here during archaeological excavations.
The Airaši locality is one of the few places in the country where the remains of a mammoth have been found. Lake Ayrasi was much larger in the distant past. Now its area is about 30 hectares, with a maximum depth of 11 metres. In this lacustrine it was natural for so-called "lake castles" to appear in this lakeside region. The Airaši castle is the first most thoroughly researched castle of this type, which is why the idea of reconstructing the castle and opening an open-air museum was born.
Visitors to Araisi Lake Castle often wonder why this bunch of wooden buildings is called a castle. If, in summer, a water barrier can be considered some sort of defence against invasion, but in winter, when the water in the lake freezes, these there's nothing to protect these wooden houses from attack. However, in ancient the climate in the area where the castle now stands was slightly warmer, and in winter, if the lake froze, it didn't stay frozen for long. So in winter. the lake was also a defence for the settlement. That's why archaeologists call these structures a castle.
Interest in the ruins of Araiši Castle appeared in 1876, then the Cessi Count K.-G. Sievers discovered this castle as a monument, believing that it was the remains of a Stone Age raft. Later, various hypotheses were given about the origin of these buildings and finding out what they really were. However, excavations to confirm this or that hypothesis, no one has conducted.
In the period from 1959 to 1964, during the survey of underwater archaeological monuments in Latvia's lakes, there were no excavations. Latvian underwater archaeological sites, the remains of 9 more settlements were discovered in the region's lakes. Similar to those found on Lake Araiši. It became clear that a new category of archaeological monuments to discover a new category of archaeological monuments. Araysi Lake Castle was chosen for large-scale research. The research were carried out from 1965 to 1979 under the direction of J. Apals.
As a result of the excavations it became clear that the lake settlement was was created in the 9th-10th centuries and was inhabited by the largest of the ancient Latvian tribes Latgalian community. The foundations of the dwellings have been preserved almost completely, partially remnants of wooden buildings have been preserved. To explore the castle, scientists to explore the castle, scientists went down to the bottom with scuba divers. The remains of the buildings were covered with a thick layer of silt. They found not only wooden constructions, but also various ancient objects: earthenware, vessels, etc.
During the whole period of archaeological excavations about 150 structures were discovered. The castle itself was a complex of buildings located on a rectangular log flooring. The castle consisted of 5 rows of hen houses and outbuildings, which were arranged in four rows around the perimeter of the site. Between the dwellings between the dwellings there were streets from one and a half to three and a half metres wide. Around the castle the castle was surrounded by log walls to protect it. The castle was connected to the shore by an embankment. It's assumed that the castle was inhabited by different social classes, as evidenced by the antiquities found, as well as the dwellings, which vary in size and volume.
The fact that the remains of the castle fell under the water is very easy to explain. In the past. the water level in the lakes was much lower than it is today. However, in the 10th century in the northern hemisphere of the Earth, there was a period of high humidity with frequent downpours. As a result, the water levels in the lakes rose rapidly. The water mothballed the buildings, and so the remains have survived to this day. The Museum of Araisi was founded in 1983. Today, various festivals and events are held here today.
