Koknese Castle Ruins

The castle at Koknese was built from 1209 by the Bishop of Riga on a rock where the Perse joined the Daugava, a commanding position over the river route, and it was blown up in 1701 and left as a ruin. The setting changed completely in 1966 when the Plavinas hydroelectric dam raised the Daugava by around forty metres: the rock, the dolomite cliffs, the Perse waterfall and the lower part of the ruins went under, and the castle now stands at the water's edge on what was previously high above it. The walls and towers survive to a good height and are consolidated, with a park around them and the Garden of Destiny memorial island nearby.

What you actually see

• The ruined walls - the towers and curtain standing at the water's edge.
• The reservoir - the raised Daugava lapping the base of the ruins.
• The park - the grounds around the castle.
• The changed landscape - the drowned cliffs and river the dam covered.

When to go

May to September when the site is staffed and the park open; access is possible but unstaffed in winter. Autumn colours the riverside. Water levels vary with dam operation.

Honest expectations

The setting was fundamentally altered by the reservoir and photographs from before 1966 show a different place. The ruin is consolidated with limited interpretation. Facilities are seasonal. The visit takes about an hour.

Nearby

Aizkraukle lies west; Jekabpils is east up the river.