Alūksne

Alūksne lies beside a lake in northeastern Livonia, close to the old routes towards Pskov. The First Pskov Chronicle mentioned the place in 1284; in 1342 the Livonian Order built a castle on an island in the lake. The fortress was called Marienburg, a name used for the settlement for centuries afterwards. Its island position made it a stronghold on the eastern side of the order's lands. During the Great Northern War, Russian forces besieged the castle in 1702, bringing the struggle between Sweden and Russia to its walls.