Cēsis Cemetery Included in European Significant Cemeteries Network

The Cēsis city cemetery has been officially included in the network of the European Association of Significant Cemeteries, according to the municipality. This inclusion places the Cēsis cemetery alongside more than 200 historically, artistically, and culturally significant cemeteries across Europe, including such famous burial grounds as San Michele in Venice, Brompton in London, and Père Lachaise in Paris.

Membership in this network offers Cēsis the opportunity to collaborate with managers of other significant European cemeteries, heritage specialists, researchers, and municipalities. The municipality notes that this can help attract new partners and develop joint projects for cemetery research, monument conservation, environmental improvement, public engagement, and cultural tourism.

In recent years, the cemetery has undergone revalorization work that highlights its importance. The municipality, the Cēsis Museum, researchers, restorers, and the local community are purposefully bringing this long-neglected site back into city life. During inventory, more than 800 preserved tombstones or their fragments were documented, and the cemetery’s website "kapseta.cesis.lv" provides information about its history and about 650 identified individuals buried there. Many of the visible damages are results of neglect and vandalism during the Soviet occupation – broken crosses, damaged grave slabs, and toppled monuments.

Since 2024, thematic tours have been organized at the cemetery, monuments restored, restoration masterclasses held, and events arranged to encourage residents to learn about the site’s history and values. Since 2025, the cemetery also hosts the Cemetery Festival, which helps the long-neglected site be seen anew as an important space of Cēsis history and memory.

The Cēsis city cemetery was established in 1773 after burials in city churches and adjacent cemeteries were prohibited. For more than two centuries, it was one of the main burial places for Cēsis residents. The European Association of Significant Cemeteries is a professional network founded 25 years ago that unites managers of historically significant cemeteries to promote their preservation, research, and public accessibility.