Description of the attraction
Araiši Lake Castle is located in the Airaši settlement, 7 km south of Cesis. The castle is a reconstruction of an ancient Latgale castle on the water. The buildings of the ancient Latgalians of the 9th century were successfully reconstructed, taking as a basis the remains of wooden structures and various ancient objects discovered here during archaeological excavations.
The Ayrashi town is one of the few in the country where the remains of a mammoth were found. Lake Ayrashi in the distant past was much larger. Now its area is about 30 hectares, the maximum depth reaches 11 meters. In ancient times, the appearance of the so-called "lake castles" was natural in this lake region. Ayrash castle is the first most thoroughly studied among the castles of this type, and therefore the idea of reconstruction of the castle and the opening of an open-air museum appeared.
Visitors to the raiši Lake Castle often wonder why this pile of wooden buildings is called a castle. If in summer a water barrier can be considered a kind of protection against invasion, then in winter, when the water in the lake freezes, nothing could protect these wooden houses from attack. However, in ancient times, the climate in the territory where the castle is located today was somewhat warmer, and in winter the lake froze, then only for a short time. Therefore, in winter, the lake was also a protection for the settlement. Therefore, archaeologists call these structures a castle.
Interest in the ruins of raiši castle appeared in 1876, then the cessian count K.-G. Sievers opened this castle as a monument, believing that it is the remains of a Stone Age raft. Later, various hypotheses were given about the origin of these buildings and the elucidation of what they really were. However, no one has carried out excavations to confirm this or that hypothesis.
In the period from 1959 to 1964. During the survey of underwater archaeological monuments in Latvia, the remains of 9 more settlements were found in the lakes of the region. Similar to those found on Lake Araiši. It became clear that a new category of archaeological sites had been discovered. Araiši Lake Castle was chosen for carrying out large-scale research. The research was carried out from 1965 to 1979 under the direction of J. Apals.
As a result of the excavations, it became clear that the lake settlement was created in the 9-10th centuries, and the Latgalian community, the most numerous of the ancient Latvian tribes, lived there. The foundations of the dwellings have been preserved almost completely; the remains of wooden buildings have been partially preserved. To explore the castle, scientists sank to the bottom with scuba diving. The remains of the buildings were covered with a thick layer of silt. Not only wooden structures were found, but also various ancient objects: earthenware, vessels, etc.
Over the entire period of archaeological excavations, about 150 structures have been discovered. The castle itself was a complex of buildings located on a rectangular log deck. The castle consisted of 5 rows of chicken huts and outbuildings, which were located along the perimeter of the site in 4 rows. Between the dwellings there were streets ranging from one and a half to three and a half meters wide. Log walls were laid out around the castle to protect it. The castle was connected to the shore by a fill dam. It is assumed that the castle was inhabited by different strata of society, as evidenced by the ancient objects found, as well as the discovered dwellings, which differ in area and volume.
The fact that the remains of the castle fell under the water can be easily explained. Previously, the water level in the lakes was much lower than today. However, in the 10th century, a period of high humidity with frequent showers began in the northern hemisphere of the Earth. As a result, the water level in the lakes rose rapidly. Water preserved the buildings, and thus the remains have survived to this day. The raiši Lake Castle Museum was founded in 1983. Various festivals and events are held here today.
