Smiltene travel

Smiltene is a town in the Livland region of in northern Latvia, 150 km northeast of the capital Riga. It has a population of 5,880.The area around Smiltene was a part of the Latgalian lands of Talava. After Crusaders had taken over most of the modern day Latvia, the area was part of the lands of the bishop of Riga. In 1359 on the steep hill near the river Abuls was built a castle. The tradesmen and craftsmen village around it - Smiltestele - first is mentioned in historical documents in 1427, since 1523 it was called a town.