Koknese Castle was built in 1209 by the Archbishop of Riga. Only the ruins of Koknese Castle have survived to this day, but they give a certain charm to this ancient place. The village of Koknese, where the ruins of the castle castle ruins are located about 30 kilometres from Jekabpils.
Historical chronicles mention the wooden castle as early as 1200. The wooden building was burnt down, and in its place by order of the bishop in 1209. The materials used for the construction were dolomite blocks quarried on the banks of the Daugava. Bricks were used for the windows and doorways bricks were used for windows and doorways. In the spring of 1210, the Lithuanians attacked the castle, which was only half built, but they failed to capture the fortress. Subsequently, armed conflicts occurred frequently.
Gradually a town was formed around the castle, which was in a special position. There were only 4 such towns in Livonia: Riga, Limbaži, Koknese and Straupe. In 1277, Koknese received the status of a town, which was granted to it by Archbishop John I. At the same time, the city boundaries were defined, and the citizens of Koknese were given plots of land from the archbishop's estates.
The built castle lasted 500 years, during which time its owners changed and it was rebuilt several times. The castle was blown up by Polish troops at the outbreak of the Great Northern War, and it has not been rebuilt since. The remains of the town the remains of the town were also destroyed. After the war, the castle changed hands. The last owner was the Levenstern family, who had owned the estate before the agrarian reform.
Otto von Lewenstern built himself a new Koknes Palace at the end of the 19th century, which came to be known simply as the New Castle. However, the life of the New Palace was was short-lived. It was destroyed during World War I. What's interesting is that German shells, which came from the other side of the River Daugava, did not cause much damage to the already destroyed castle, but the grenades destroyed the New Castle. After the end of the war, the ruins of the New Castle were scattered for building materials, whereas while the ruins of Old Koknese Castle were left untouched.
The year 1967 brought new destruction for Koknese Castle. During the construction of the Pliavińska hydroelectric power station, large areas were flooded. It’s hard to believe that the Koknese fortress once stood on top of a mountain, since after the appearance of the hydroelectric power station, the reservoir began to wash the foundation of the castle.
Koknese Castle was erected as a two-storey building of triangular plan with five towers. The castle stood on a high cliff at the confluence of two rivers. The number of towers and the castle itself was rebuilt about six times. Koknese Castle was surrounded by thick, high walls made of dolomite.
Under the towers on the west side of the castle were the prisons. On the ground floor of the castle Koknese was equipped with a brewery, a bakery, and a kitchen. On the first floor were living quarters as well as meeting rooms. Fireplaces and tile stoves were used for heating. fireplaces and tile cookers were used for heating.
After the restoration of Latvia's independence, special programmes for the protection and restoration of cultural and historical monuments were developed. Since 1991, conservation work has been regularly carried out at Koknese Castle in order to stop further destruction of the ruins.
