The Bīriņu Castle

Until the early 20th century, in the vicinity of the Bīriņu castle there was the famous Bīriņu manor. The manor received its name in honour of Johann Bering von Helmstedt who freed Turaida, Cēsis, Limbaži and many other significant Latvian places from troops of Ivan IV by using his military units and wit, after which he became a folk hero and received the manor in his property.

In ancient times it was a place where the Livs lived. They called the hill Koldesselle which means "sand dune mountain". 

Renaissance features dominate in the appearance of the Bīriņu castle – the spacious lobby is adorned with splendid oak stairs, the rooms have high ceilings and exquisite tile stoves. The atmosphere and the air of the castle are saturated with the spirit of antiquity!

The Bīriņu castle keeps a legend about the mysterious destinies of the family Pistolkors. It is a love story in which two young people – the castle owner's son and a maid – fell in love with each other, but were abandoned to death because they could not live without each other.