Victory monument in Cēsis

Cēsis (Latvian pronunciation: [tseːsis]; is a town in Latvia and the center of Cēsis Municipality, located in the northern part of the Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges above the river, overlooking the woods below. Cēsis was selected to be one of the candidate cities for the title of the European Capital of Culture 2014 (Riga was the Latvian city that won the title), as well as for the European Capital of Culture 2027 (Liepāja took the title).