Cesis – Medieval Magic and Modern Meetings

As we were talking about many experiential hubs throughout Latvia, there is no way around introducing the medieval town of Cesis, only some 90 km away from Riga, the Latvian Capital. It is an influential cultural hub with a talent for complementing its ancient heritage with cutting edge creative events. A lot of events are going on there and create an open, friendly and exciting atmosphere.

The new Cesis Concert Hall is the musical centre of the Vidzeme region, and the adjacent Insignia gallery offers exhibitions by Latvian and foreign artists. We have covered the Concert Hall in a separate article with more details.

The famous annual Cesis Art Festival is a month-long feast of theatre, cinema, music, visual arts and performance events held at locations throughout the town in July and August. It’s program promotes an understanding of the processes behind contemporary culture worldwide. The festival is unique, thanks to its experimental daring to present creative expression by top-notch, recognized artists. The festival is a celebration of the arts throughout the whole month, which reaches its culmination in the open-air opera performances in Pils Parks (Castle Park).

Cesis’ history and beginning relate to the Cesis Castle, around which the town grew from the 13^th century. Today, a Medieval Activity Centre offers various medieval-themed events that can enhance delegate programs by a visit to the castle with entertaining and educational activities.

Besides the festivals, concerts, exhibitions the city features a selection of beautiful restaurants – one example being H.E. Vanadzins Ziemelu, a modern urban place offering creative cross-over dining. Check on Trip Advisor for more recommendations in Cesis, but this one we visited shortly and I liked the design and atmosphere a lot. It also has a beautiful, nice and quiet backyard seating for relaxes al-fresco dining in the summer.

More information on Cesis on the LIAA website.

Cesis Castle

Cesis Concert Hall

Cesis Castle

Cesis Castle venue

Cesis Castle interior

Cesis Restaurant H.E. Vanadzins Ziemelu

Cesis Restaurant backyard

Cesis Restaurant H.E. Vanadzins Ziemelu

Inside H.E. Vanadzins Ziemelu

Cesis Restaurant backyard

Villa Santa and Bridge Meeting Space

We showcase hree a hotel property to you which is an outstanding place for high-end meetings and opened only in 2017. Located at the edge of Cesis, in the forest, it has this magic spell that many manors and renovated buildings in Latvia carry: here we have 3 beautifully renovated Villas – each with several rooms, a magnificent restaurant and a separate meeting space called the Bridge House because it is literally built over a creek, with big windows to let the green and nature around into the conference. The hotel itself has a long and varied story, you can read about it here.

It has been bought by a publishing company that was the first to produce a Latvian magazine for women, SANTA, in 1991. It became the cornerstone for the largest national magazine publishing company, which currently publishes 21 magazines, each of which is the leader in its niche market (IEVA, KLUBS, DEKO, PRIVĀTĀ DZĪVE, etc.). In 2008, it was awarded the Order of the Three Stars for meritorious service to Latvia.

In 2014, the publishing company bought from the Cesis Municipality the property of the former hospital (which was the last use of the villas) at an auction. It was rebuilt from the ground up, keeping the historical appearance of the two smaller villas. In June 2017 the hotel VILLA SANTA was opened.

Details about rooms and meeting space you find on the website of Villa Santa. Here some images to give you a first impression of a tasteful hotel.