Découvrez Alūksne Castle, forteresse des Chevaliers Teutoniques fondée en 1342 sur l'île majeure du lac Alūksne, en Lettonie du Nord-Est. Édifiée par le Landmeister Burkhard von Dreileben sous le nom de Marienburg, cette construction stratégique renforçait les frontières orientales de Livonia. Le château a résisté à de nombreuses attaques au XVIe siècle, avant d'être conquis par Ivan IV en 1560 lors de la Guerre de Livonie. Intégré successivement à la Pologne-Lituanie et à l'Empire suédois, il a été détruit en 1702 pendant la Grande Guerre du Nord pour éviter sa capture. Aujourd'hui, les ruines imposantes du château occupent l'île du Pils et accueillent une scène en plein air au cœur d'une zone récréative. Idéal pour explorer l'histoire médiévale balte et les vestiges de fortifications historiques en Lettonie.
« Alūksne Castle (Latvian: Marienburgas pils, Alūksnes pils; German: Marienburg) is a castle of Teutonic Knights in current Alūksne, North-Eastern Latvia.The castle was built in 1342… »
« Alūksne Castle (Latvian: Marienburgas pils, Alūksnes pils; German: Marienburg) is a castle of Teutonic Knights in current Alūksne, North-Eastern Latvia.The castle was built in 1342 on the largest of the islands in the Lake Alūksne and called Marienburg (after Mary, the mother of Jesus). The first castle was constructed by the Landmeister Burkhard von Dreileben. It was part of a major reinforcement of the Eastern border of Livonia, the same year another major castle nearby (in Vastseliina) was founded as well. Soon thereafter, center of komturei was moved from Gaujiena to Alūksne. [1] The strength of the castle was repeatedly proven by repelling a number of attacks in the 16th century. Alūksne was captured by the troops of Ivan IV of Russia in 1560 during the Livonian War. It was incorporated into the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1582. The town became part of the Swedish Empire in 1629. After the fall of the Old Livonia, the castle remained habitable. It was finally destroyed in 1702 in the Great Northern War by its Swedish garrison to avoid falling in the hands of Russians. The ruins remained largely untouched. Today, it houses an open-air scene and forms a part of a recreational area of the Pils (Castle) Island. »