Ruins of Koknese Castle on the Daugava river, Latvia


The castle was built in the early 13th century, on the order of Bishop Albert of Riga, to replace a Latvian wooden castle on the same site. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the castle was the site of various battles between Polish, Swedish and Russian forces. IN 1701 during the Great Northern War, the castle was blown up by retreating forces and was never rebuilt. Until 1966 the Castle ruins were high up on a hill, however, when the Plavinu Hydroeletric Power Station was built in the 1960s its foundation was flooded and the ruins now sit on the river's edge.


Size: 4500px × 3000px
Location: Koknese Castle, Koknese municipality, Vidzeme, Latvia
Photo credit: © Kerin Forstmanis / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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