Koknese Castle
Kokneses pilsdrupas
Vidzeme, Latvia · 56°38′28″N 25°25′30″E
The red-brick shell of a 13th-century Livonian Order castle at the meeting of two rivers, its lower storeys drowned when the Daugava was dammed in 1965.
Koknese was built in 1209 by the Bishop of Riga at the confluence of the Daugava and Pērse, later held by the Livonian Order and blown up by the Saxons in 1701. The ruin stood on a high promontory until the Pļaviņas hydroelectric reservoir raised the river by 20 m; the castle now stands at the water's edge, with the bases of the walls under the lake.
What remains is two towers and long stretches of wall in local red brick, all walkable.
Why it stays quiet
It is off the Riga–Daugavpils road with no signs of a tourist economy. Latvians come for the park in summer; otherwise it is a quiet river bank.
Where it is
Before you go
Small donation box at the entrance. Rowing boats on the reservoir in summer. Sculpture park next door.
Updated 2026-09-06 · Suggest a correction
