From space to the Middle Ages: a family day in Cēsis

A family outing to Cēsis for a son's name day turned into a day that combined two very different worlds: space and the Middle Ages. The town's Space Discovery Centre, open to visitors since autumn 2023, offers a three-floor interactive exhibition about space exploration, astronauts' daily lives and the technology used beyond Earth.

On the first floor, visitors can walk across a special floor that generates energy from steps and follow the amount produced on a screen. The journey continues through a tunnel devoted to the history of human research, with models of rockets, rovers, satellites and engines. The second floor focuses on STEM and includes a section about colonising Mars. The exhibits show how organic waste purification could provide important resources, electricity, oxygen and fuel on another planet.

The third floor is filled with hands-on activities. Visitors can test their balance and reactions, try tasks similar to astronaut training, and build a wooden car to race down to the first floor or a paper rocket to see how far it flies. A science show led by a guide demonstrated the laws of physics, gravity and weightlessness through experiments. Although the exhibition is expected to take about two hours, the family spent twice as long.

The next stop was Cēsis Medieval Castle, an 800-year-old site that was once the most powerful fortress in Livonia and is now considered the best-preserved castle ruins in Latvia. The castle's history includes battles against Russian, Polish and Swedish forces, and it was rebuilt and expanded several times before taking its current form in the early 16th century.

In the West Tower, visitors are given lanterns lit with real candles to climb through a dark, narrow circular passage. The tower contains the Master's dwelling, a unique interior with a star vault and fragments of wall paintings. From the attic, there is an impressive view over the rest of the ruins, the outer castle, the park and the town. The castle also uses modern technology, allowing visitors to see artefacts and architectural details in 3D.

The South Tower hosts the multimedia exhibition “Life on a Powder Keg” until the end of September, telling the story of Livonia 500 years ago. On summer weekends, the castle garden offers medieval games, traditional crafts and a chance to explore the vegetables, fruit and spices grown there. The family also visited the Ancient Jewellery Forge, where a craftsman talks about Latgalian ornaments, coins and the traditions of wearing them.

The ticket includes admission to the New Castle museum. It features an interactive exhibition called “Cēsis – a Symbol of Latvian History”, restored 18th–19th century interiors and a view from Lademacher Tower.