The medieval castle of Rauna is one of the largest and best preserved castle ruins in Latvia. The precise date of construction of the castle is unknown, however, sources written by the Archbishop of Riga Johannes IV of Zinten allow to conclude that it was built in the 60s of the 14th century and was used as one of the principal residences of the Archbishop of Riga and his entourage, which was visited irregularly at all seasons.
Only few details are known about the medieval architecture of the masonry castle, since the castle has been rebuilt several times and most of the original structures are no longer seen today. Rauna Castle was built gradually, by building a castellum-type exterior walls of the building first. This means that initially the castle was built as a fortification with four masonry walls, and temporary wooden structures could have been built inside the fortified walls.
Origins of Rauna Tanīsa hill is also mentioned in old tales about Rauna. The story tells: “When russians besieged the city of Rauna, they used their hats to carry sand to create a hill where the shot canons from at swedish castle”. This old legend is still told today to younger generations and visitors of Rauna.
The beginnings of Rauna Manor Estate are associated with Rauna Castle. Rauna Castle was built in the 14th century and served as one of the residences of the Archbishop of Riga during the entire period of Middle Ages. Rauna Manor Estate was developed next to Rauna Castle in early 16th century, becoming the main element of cultural environment of the residential area of Rauna after the castle. As Rauna Manor Estate developed and the castle ruins were abandoned, the landscape properties of the vicinity and the castle ruins were used to create a park.
Since first built, Rauna Church has significantly changed, as it was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. It was damaged during Livonian War, as well as during the Swedish – Polish war, and the church was restored every time. In 1793 – 1794, a sacristy was added to the church. In 1803 – 1804, the most extensive reconstruction in the history of the church occurred – the wall at the southern side of the church was destroyed and a section of the church was added. Currently the main entrance to the church is situated in this part, as well as the altar of the church was transferred from the eastern side to the northern wall of the church.