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3 6 0 TUR A I DA 1 3 . – 1 6 . GAD S I MTA DOKUME N TOS
TURAIDA
in the 13th –16th Century Documents
Summary
Introduction
Turaida Castle has long since drawn the attention of travellers and researchers with the beauty
of the natural surroundings and with its eventful history. The castle stands on a strip of land that
rises approximately 80 metres above the surroundings, and the main castle tower offers an impres­
sive view of the wood-covered valley of the Gauja River. The castle is the most archaeologically
investigated medieval fortification in the Baltic States; not only the ruins have been conserved but
also some perished structures have been partially reconstructed. In 2014, in commemoration of
the 800th anniversary of Turaida stone castle, the Turaida Museum Reserve issues a collection of
historical documents that reflect the hey-day of the stone castle when it was a mighty fortress of
military importance and a major administrative centre.
In Turaida research of the medieval and modern heritage takes place under the auspices of the
museum. In 1963, the castle became the home of Sigulda Regional History Museum. In order to
protect and advertise the Turaida Castle complex and the surrounding cultural landscape, in 1988,
the Turaida Museum Reserve was founded; apart from the castle complex it encompasses open-
air exhibitions, the 18th century timber church of Turaida with the 13 th–18th century graveyard,
the Turaida manor centre, and the Dainu (Folksongs’) Hill. Each year the museum reserve sees
hundreds of thousands of visitors, to whom the Turaida Castle complex gives an impression of how
the medieval and early modern military structures, and the residence of the ruler of a Livonian
land, looked like in the 15th–16th centuries, while some parts of the complex, such as the main tower
(bergfried) which makes the silhouette of Turaida Castle so distinctive, acquaint them with archi­
tectural monuments built as early as in the 13th century.
In the period from 1976 to 2000, in co-operation with the archaeological expedition organ­
ized by the Institute of History of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, under the supervision of ar­
chaeologist Jānis Graudonis (1913–2005), the museum conducted the archaeological research of
the Turaida Castle complex. Concurrently with the archaeological research the conservation and
reconstruction works were carried out based on designs elaborated by architect Gunārs Jansons
(1928–2013) from the Monuments’ Restoration and Design Bureau of the Ministry of Culture. In the
late 20th century, as part of reconstructive restoration, the perished parts of several castle buildings
were erected on the foundations unearthed during archaeological excavations.1
1Jurkāne, Anna (1999). Turaidas pils – muzejrezervāta sastāvdaļa mūsdienās [Turaida Castle: part of the museum
reserve today]. In: Pētījumi par Rīgas arhibīskapa pilīm [Studies of the Riga Archbishop’s Castles]. Rīga, 47.–58. lpp.
(Latvijas viduslaiku pilis I [Medieval Castles of Latvia I]).
TuraidaDokumentos_no 300 IVdb.indd 360 22.07.14 9:58:26