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 in the ruins of Rauna Castle, offering every visitor to Rauna the chance to climb up and enjoy views of Rauna and the ruins from above. The viewing tower features interactive exhibition stands and informative panels, as well as a digital stand with tourism and other useful information about the Smiltene region.

About the history of Rauna Castle

• Rauna Castle was built in the 14th century in the second half, and it served as one of the Archbishop of Riga’s main residences during the winter season – 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.
• Even at the end of the 16th century, as evidenced by the 1582 audit, the castle was still in good condition – all its structures had been preserved.
• The most significant damage to Rauna masonry castle was inflicted during the Polish-Lithuanian conflict with the Kingdom of Sweden in the 17th century. 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.

Rauna Castle Viewing Tower

Tower opening hours: 8:00–19:00.

According to the decision of the Smiltene Municipality Council adopted on 23 April 2026, entry to the Rauna Castle Ruins Observation Tower will be subject to a fee starting from 1 June 2026. The collected funds will be used for the maintenance and further development of this important cultural and historical site.

Key visitor information:

• Admission fee: EUR 1.00 per person.
• Free admission: for children and young people up to 18 years of age.
• Payment method: payments must be made remotely using the Mobilly mobile application.

On the second floor of the castle tower, there is a digital information stand featuring more detailed information about the history of Rauna Castle. Visitors can listen to audio stories about various attractions in Rauna and learn about other tourism sites in Rauna Parish and the Smiltene region. All audio stories are also available on the website: pils.rauna.lv

Interactive exhibition stands are located on the second and third floors of the tower. On the third floor, visitors can view the exhibition “Archaeological Artefacts of Rauna Castle.”

In addition, by using the tablet located near the Rauna Castle tower, downloading the Overly app on a mobile phone, and scanning the reconstruction drawing of the Rauna Castle courtyard displayed on the tablet, visitors can view a visualization of Rauna Castle in augmented reality.