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Koknese Kokenh(a)usen,Kokenhuza,Кукейнос | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
  Koknese Location in Latvia | |
| Coordinates:56°39′N25°26′E / 56.650°N 25.433°E /56.650; 25.433 | |
| Country |  Latvia |
| Municipality | Aizkraukle Municipality |
| Town rights | 1277 |
| Lost town rights | 17th century |
| Rights restored | 1 July 2021 |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.4 km2 (1.7 sq mi) |
| • Land | 4.3 km2 (1.7 sq mi) |
| • Water | 0.1 km2 (0.039 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 77 m (253 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 2,427 |
| • Density | 560.5/km2 (1,452/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | LV-5113 |
| Calling code | +371 51 |
| Website | http://www.koknese.lv/ |
Koknese[a] is atown inAizkraukle Municipality in theVidzeme region ofLatvia, on the right bank of theDaugava River. It has a population of nearly 3,000.
According to the provisions of the2021 Latvian administrative reform, Koknese gained city rights (town status) on 1 July 2021.[1] The town is also the extra-territorial center of the adjacentKoknese Parish.
The site of Koknese was originally aLatgalian andSelonian settlement namedKukenois. By the late 12th century, the settlement of Koknese had fallen under the loosesovereignty ofPrincipality of Polotsk as atributary sub-principality.
At the beginning of the 13th century, thecrusadingLivonian Brothers of the Sword led by BishopAlbert of Buxhoeveden ofRiga began to occupy the shores of theGulf of Riga. By 1205 in return for protection againstLithuanians andPolotsk, theEastern Orthodox Church princeVyachko (Vetseka) of Koknese gave half of his land to Albert. By 1209 Koknese had been taken over by the Order, whereupon Albertordered the construction of a stone castle where theDaugava meets the Pērse river to replace the wooden fortification of the Latvians. The formal sovereignty of Polotsk was finally revoked in 1215. The Order then controlled the town until its transference in 1238 to thebishops of Riga. The town became the summer residence of the Archbishop of Riga in 1420 and the primary residence in the 16th century.
The castle was frequently a source of dispute between the bishops and the von Tiesenhausen family, which it had been granted to as afief in 1269. They were supported by theTeutonic Order, as noble possession of the castle weakened the power of their rivals in the bishopric.
The town, known in German asKokenhusen, received itstown privileges in 1277. During the 14th century, Koknese flourished as part of the mercantileHanseatic League. Archbishop John V of Wallenrodt was able to resolve the conflict with the Teutonic Order and restore the territory to the church in 1397.
During theLivonian War, Koknese was taken byPoland in 1561, which named the townKokenhuza. AlthoughRussian forces captured the town, it was recovered byPolish forces. During the 17th centuryPolish–Swedish wars, the town was repeatedly contested. It was the site of theBattle of Kokenhausen in 1601, in which thehussars of thePolish cavalry defeated their numerically greaterSwedish adversaries. However, the town became part of theDominions of Sweden in 1629 and was refortified by the Swedes.
During theRusso-Swedish War (1656–1658) the main Russian forces marched along the bank of the Daugava towards Riga, taking Koknese on their way and renaming it to Tsarevich-Dmitriev. All vessels constructed in a shipyard of Koknese founded by thevoivodeAfanasy Ordin-Nashchokin were used for thesiege of Riga (1656) and later destroyed according to theTreaty of Cardis in 1661.
During theGreat Northern War the castle was conquered bySaxony in 1700 and destroyed by the Saxons when they were forced to retreat before the Swedes in 1701. By war's end Kokenhusen was incorporated intoRussian Empire with the rest of Livonia. Although the Russians had been calling itKukeinos from the 13th century, they chose to keep the German name.
Arailway line running through Koknese was completed by 1861, allowing the town to become a recreational site. TheBaltic German von Löwenstern family constructed aNeo-Renaissance manor castle which was completed in 1894; however, it burned down during the1905 Russian Revolution.
After Latvian independence from Russia and Germany was declared afterWorld War I, a hill in the town was dubbed "Professor's Hill" owing to its popularity as a meeting place forintelligentsia. By then the town was known by the Latvian nameKoknese. ThePļaviņas Hydro Power Plant was commissioned near the town in 1966. Its construction left the foundation of the castle ruins underwater.
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(in Latvian)56°38′18″N25°25′10″E / 56.638366°N 25.419574°E /56.638366; 25.419574
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