Limbaži Medieval Castle

The castle occupies a flat-topped hill and is bounded to the north by a stream that feeds into Dūņezers. That stream was dammed to form two ponds east of the fortification, with the northern pond used at least as a mill pond. The same watercourse is the source of the medievally navigable Svētupe, which once led to the sea at Neu-Salis. South of the hill the town of Lemsal lay behind its own wall and a moat that separated the urban area from the castle.

The central stronghold takes the form of a rectangular, convent-style complex with an inner courtyard and at least three wings. The southeast wing survives in the most complete state, measuring about 29 meters long and 10 meters wide, and shows construction consistent with the main enceinte. Authors have proposed different overall footprints—one reconstruction suggests a roughly square plan with sides near 30 meters, while another describes a plan about 28 meters across and nearly twice that in length. At least one later change is documented: the southwest wing was replaced in the 18th century by a barn that itself no longer survives. The northwest side has not been fully investigated and there remains a possibility the layout was U-shaped, with that side linked only by a curtain wall.

Defensive towers marked the corners of the main building. Foundations reveal a massive square tower at the north corner, while a stair tower in the west survives only at foundation level. Several historical views show a round tower, but the existing square foundations do not match those depictions; those drawings are therefore interpreted as showing an earlier, predecessor tower. Surrounding the core, an outer ward roughly 15 meters wide was built, defended by broad walls erected in a style derived from Byzantine fortification practice and later employed by the military orders active in the region. In front of those walls lay a water-filled moat and an outer rampart.

The principal gate stood in the northeast wall and was equipped with an externally mounted portcullis that operated through two openings, and a niche in the wall likely intended for a protective saint’s image. A secondary entrance stood nearby toward the eastern corner. A drawing dated 1795 records remains of a portal set before the main gate, probably attached to the outer ward’s wall. Interior evidence shows vaulted ceilings in what may have been a hall in the southeast wing and a chapel in the northeast wing, while a cellar space served for storage.

Builders used fieldstones, partly hewn, bonded with lime mortar to produce thick masonry walls about 1.8 to 2 meters wide. Brick appears in only a few places, notably in window arches and at the main gateway. Today the southeast wing is the most fully preserved element, the stair tower survives as foundation remains, and the north tower is represented by substantial foundations. Conservation measures in the late 20th century secured standing fabric and recorded the site, but large-scale earthmoving behind the outer wall around 1999–2000 significantly disturbed the archaeological deposits.