Cesis has the look of a place that has been fought over, and it has. The old castle, a ruin of grey stone on a low hill above the town, was begun in the early thirteenth century by the Livonian Order, the German crusading knights who conquered this part of the Baltic, and for three centuries it was one of their strongest seats, with towers, walls and the residence of the order's master. It was destroyed in the Great Northern War in the early eighteenth century, and the ruins stand beside a later manor house that now holds a museum. In summer, you can climb the round tower with a candle lantern, a pleasantly gloomy experience.
The history of the town is tied to Latvia's own struggle. In June 1919, in the battle of Cesis, Latvian and Estonian troops defeated a German force and helped to secure the independence of both nations, and Estonians still honour the date as Victory Day. The town sits within Gauja National Park, Latvia's oldest, established in 1973, and the river Gauja, which runs through a deep valley of red sandstone cliffs, caves and pine forest. The Gauja is the longest river that lies entirely in Latvia, and in summer, canoeists paddle along it for days.
Cesis has a brewery, which has been making beer since the late sixteenth century according to its own history, and the product is sold across Latvia. A glass of the local lager or a dark beer with a plate of smoked fish, rye bread and grey peas with bacon is a Latvian classic. The old town, with its cobbled streets, wooden houses and a church with a tall brick spire, is pleasant to wander. Cafes are small and friendly, and prices are low.
The town has about eighteen thousand people, enough for fuel, supermarkets and rooms. The road to Cesis from Riga, the A2, is a straight run through forest and farmland, and is easy riding, though trucks are many and overtaking needs care. Roads in the park are narrower, with sandy edges and sudden bends, and the surface is mixed. Sigulda, with its castles and cable car, is a short ride away to the south-west. In summer, the light is long and the nights short, with dusk lasting past eleven in June, while in autumn the forest turns gold and the air smells of mushrooms and damp leaves. Be prepared for cool nights even in summer.