Most researchers of antiquity have suggested that the Kvēpene hillfort is the Satekle castle mentioned in the Chronicle of Indricus, which was the residence of the famous Latgalian feudal lord Rūsiņš.

The first description of the Kvēpene hillfort was given in 1877 by the German-Baltic local historian Count K. G. von Sievers. According to the archives of the Archaeology Department of the Latvian History Museum, excavations were carried out at the castle mound in 1921. The mound is located in the ancient Gauja bank massif, on a 150 m long tongue of land. On the south-western side, unprotected from nature, the mound is enclosed by two ditches and three ramparts. The two largest ramparts are 9 m high, the third is 1 m high.

Kvēpenes Castle Mound is located on the right bank of the Gauja, 6 km downstream of Cēsis and 5 km south of Raiskums Lake.

Kvēpenes Castle Hill is located in the Gauja National Park.
When visiting the castle hill, please follow the signs and follow the established trail!

Photos from the Cēsis TIC archive