and was refortified by the Swedes. During the Russo-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 the voivode Afanasy Ordin-Nashchokin were used for the siege of Riga (1656) and later destroyed according to the Treaty of Cardis in 1661. During the Great Northern War the castle was conquered by Saxony 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 into Russian Empire with the rest of Livonia. Although the Russians had been calling it Kukeinos from the 13th century, they chose to keep the German name. A railway line running through Koknese was completed by 1861, allowing the town to become a recreational site. The Baltic German von Löwenstern family constructed a Neo-Renaissance manor castle which was completed in 1894; however, it burned down during the 1905 Russian Revolution. After Latvian independence from Russia and Germany was declared after World War I, a hill in the town was dubbed "Professor's Hill" owing to its popularity as a meeting place for intelligentsia. By then the town was known by the Latvian name Koknese. The Pļaviņas Hydro Power Plant was commissioned near the town in 1966. Its construction left the foundation of the castle ruins underwater. Other Playwright Rūdolfs Blaumanis lived in the town during the 1880s. Koknese is a participant in the New Hanseatic League, an association with the goal of developing the economy and tourism of its constituent cities. The Coat of arms of Koknese depicts a boat, a key, and a crosier. The Koknese Manor Park, located over parts of the medieval town and castle ruins, contains the tallest wooden sculpture in the country. The structure, built by Ģirts Burvis, was opened in 2002 to commemorate the 725th anniversary of the town's foundation. See also Koknese Castle Principality of Kukenois References External links Municipal website Members of the Hanseatic League Kreis Riga Towns in Latvia Aizkraukle Municipality Vidzeme