See this theme in hall 7
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The first castle of the crusading order in Riga, at the centre of the new German town on the bank of the Rīga Stream, was sacked by the town citizens in 1297. After the defeat of the townspeople in 1330, a new site for the castle was chosen on the bank of the River Daugava outside the town wall, near the Hospice of St George. We know very little about its appearance, since the Rigans destroyed this castle too in 1484. It is said to have been one of the finest castles in the region. Riga Castle was the residence of the Master of the Livonian Order and housed the Orders archive, as well as gold, silver and other treasures. Because of the conflict with the city of Riga, in 1481 these valuables were taken away to the Orders castle at Cēsis. The residence of the master was also transferred there.
The Orders Cēsis Castle was built in 1213 or 1214, originally serving as the centre of a commandery. Over the course of time, the castle was further developed. The main castle consisted of four blocks with an inner courtyard and three towers, and was protected by three outer baileys. When the Russian forces besieged the castle during the Livonian war in 1577, the defenders blew themselves up at the conclusion. In 1703, during the Northern War, the whole castle was destroyed.
The third Riga castle was built on the site of the previous castle, and is considered to have been completed in 1515. The main structure of this castle, although altered, has survived up to the present day. The castle was built as an irregularly-shaped structure of four three-storey blocks, with a central yard and corner towers. The walls, 2-3.5 m thick, are built of limestone blocks, boulders and brick. The ground floor was occupied by the kitchens, workshops, food stores, etc. On the first floor were the masters chambers, the dormitory and refectory for the brothers of the Order, the council hall, the chapel, etc. On this floor, the rooms were 7 m high, with various kinds of elaborate vaulting, such as lierne vaults and net vaults. The second floor was for defence. North of the main castle was an outer bailey.
The Livonian Order was dissolved in 1561, and the castle served in later centuries as the residence of the Polish, Swedish and Russian governors. Nowadays, the outer bailey is the official residence of the President of Latvia, while the main castle houses the museums.
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