Valmiera

Valmiera stands on the Gauja River in inland Livonia. A Livonian Order castle rose beside the river, and the town is first recorded in 1323. By 1365 it was mentioned as a member of the Hanseatic trading network, connecting the inland settlement with Baltic commerce.

The Livonian War damaged Valmiera and changed its rulers. During the Great Northern War Russian forces captured the town and destroyed the castle in 1702. In 1738 a Moravian Church seminary opened in Valmiera, becoming part of a religious movement influential in Vidzeme. The town became a district centre in 1783.