In the book “Rauna Then and Now”, published around 1900, Vīstucis wrote that Rauna Castle ranked among the strongest castles in Vidzeme. Today, it is considered one of the largest and best-preserved castle ruins in Latvia.

A viewing tower has been installed within the castle ruins, offering visitors the opportunity to climb up and enjoy panoramic views of Rauna and the castle remains from above. The tower features interactive exhibition panels, informational displays, and a digital stand providing tourism and other useful information about Smiltene Municipality.

About the history of Rauna Castle

• Rauna Castle was built in the second half of the 14th century and served as one of the main winter residences of the Archbishop of Riga, typically from September to February.
• When the Livonian War started, the castle did not suffer much damage, since, due to the rumours of the brutality of Russian Knyaz Ivan IV, which spread rapidly, the army of the Duchy of Russia took the castle without a fight.
• At the end of the 16th century, as indicated in the audit of 1582, the castle was still in good condition – all the structures of the castle were preserved
• The masonry castle of Rauna sustained the most severe damage during the conflict between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden in the early and mid-17th century.
• After the last conflict, the Swedish administration decided not to rebuild the castle, and it lost its importance as a fortification.
• 1683. In 1683, an order to eliminate the fortifications of the castle was issued – sections of the fortifications of the bailey of the castle and the protection towers between them were blown up.
• Although the main castle buildings were still in relatively good condition at the end of the 17th century (as recorded in the 1688 audit), about a hundred years later, they had already fallen into ruin.

Facilities at the Rauna Castle Tower and surroundings

• The castle tower is equipped with an electronic access system – to enter, press the button located next to the tower door.
• Tower opening hours: 07:00–19:00.
• On the second floor, a digital stand provides more detailed information about the history of Rauna Castle, audio stories about local attractions, and an overview of tourism opportunities in Rauna Rural Territory and Smiltene Municipality. All audio stories are also available on the website: https://pils.rauna.lv/.
• Interactive exhibition panels are located on the second and third floors of the tower. The third floor hosts the exhibition “Archaeological Finds from Rauna Castle”.
• By downloading the Overly mobile app to your smartphone and scanning the reconstruction drawing of the Rauna Castle courtyard displayed on the tablet at the Rauna Castle tower, you can view a visualisation of Rauna Castle.