Castro de Elviña, A Coruña, Spain

Castro de Elviña is a remnant of a Celtic military structure in A Coruña. It was in use from the 3rd century BCE until 4th century CE.

Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Spain

User Reviews

Cabo “EA1BC” Tenreiro (7 months ago)
One of the best, in the history of Coruña, next to the Torre de Hèrcules. They should give more publicity and attention to this beautiful place. Access can be improved.

Iván Guitart (7 months ago)
Inaccesible tanto a coche como a pie, no se si será algo eventual por reforma o si será siempre así. Una lástima

jorge calvo (7 months ago)
I have been many years ago, when I was still almost unexcavated; I have gone today, but it is not open at any time. You must register to visit it. I give 3 stars because the schedules and information here are not up to date.

Pedro Palomeque Ramirez (7 months ago)
A pity that it is not open to the public all day. From the road you can see slightly.

Julio Lorente (8 months ago)
The guided visit to the castro is well worth it, much less known and promoted than the historical and archaeological value of the site deserves. The Castro is in a quiet place from which you can see La Coruña. The visit is very complete and helps you to recognize and interpret the different structures and to imagine what life could be like in the fort and the relationship with Carthaginians and Romans during the time it was inhabited.

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Cesis Castle

German crusaders known as the Livonian Brothers of the Sword began construction of the Cēsis castle (Wenden) near the hill fort in 1209. When the castle was enlarged and fortified, it served as the residence for the Order's Master from 1237 till 1561, with periodic interruptions. Its ruins are some of the most majestic castle ruins in the Baltic states. Once the most important castle of the Livonian Order, it was the official residence for the masters of the order.

In 1577, during the Livonian War, the garrison destroyed the castle to prevent it from falling into the control of Ivan the Terrible, who was decisively defeated in the Battle of Wenden (1578).

In 1598 it was incorporated into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Wenden Voivodship was created here. In 1620 Wenden was conquered by Sweden. It was rebuilt afterwards, but was destroyed again in 1703 during the Great Northern War by the Russian army and left in a ruined state. Already from the end of the 16th century, the premises of the Order's castle were adjusted to the requirements of the Cēsis Castle estate. When in 1777 the Cēsis Castle estate was obtained by Count Carl Sievers, he had his new residence house built on the site of the eastern block of the castle, joining its end wall with the fortification tower.

Since 1949, the Cēsis History Museum has been located in this New Castle of the Cēsis Castle estate. The front yard of the New Castle is enclosed by a granary and a stable-coach house, which now houses the Exhibition Hall of the Museum. Beside the granary there is the oldest brewery in Latvia, Cēsu alus darītava, which was built in 1878 during the later Count Sievers' time, but its origins date back to the period of the Livonian Order. Further on, the Cēsis Castle park is situated, which was laid out in 1812. The park has the romantic characteristic of that time, with its winding footpaths, exotic plants, and the waters of the pond reflecting the castle's ruins. Nowadays also one of the towers is open for tourists.

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