About the Event
The second annual Cemetery Festival, which took place on 28 June 2026 at the Historic Cēsis Town Cemetery in Cēsis, Latvia, brought together poetry, music, history, and remembrance, continuing the gradual return of this long-neglected heritage site to the cultural life of Cēsis.
The programme featured newly written literary epitaphs by Latvian poet Jānis Rokpelnis that offered concise, witty, and sometimes ironic portraits of Cēsis townspeople buried in the cemetery, created from fragments of their biographies, characters, and destinies. Another highlight was the first presentation of Latvian translations of poems by Aleksis Adolphi (1815–1874), the first town doctor of Cēsis and also a poet. The poems were translated from German by contemporary poet Ivars Šteinbergs. A lyrical musical atmosphere was created by the choir “Beverīna”, while Didzis Kreicbergs, pastor of St John’s Church in Cēsis, shared reflections on the passing of time, memory, and continuity.
A particularly significant moment was the unveiling of the restored grave monument of Albert Hollander (1796–1868), an educator and founder of the Bērzaine (Birkenruh) Gymnasium. The restoration marks another step in the ongoing work of documenting, preserving, and gradually restoring the historic monuments of the cemetery.
Cemetery History and Preservation
The Historic Cēsis Town Cemetery, established in 1773, is one of the most important historic burial grounds in the town. For more than two centuries, it served as the resting place for generations of Cēsis residents, whose life stories form an essential part of the town’s history. The cemetery also bears visible traces of the damage and neglect suffered during the Soviet occupation, including broken crosses, damaged grave slabs, and overturned monuments.
In recent years, Cēsis Municipality, the Cēsis Museum, researchers, conservators, and the local community have worked step by step to rediscover and revalue this heritage site. More than 800 grave monuments or fragments have been documented, and information about the cemetery’s history and about 650 identified individuals buried there is now available at kapseta.cesis.lv.
Public activities play an important role in the cemetery’s revival. Since 2024, thematic guided tours, monument restoration, conservation workshops, and public events have helped local residents and visitors see the cemetery not only as a burial ground, but also as a place of memory, history, learning, and community gathering. Since 2025, the annual Cemetery Festival has become one of the key public events supporting this process.
Photos from Cemetery Festival 2026
