The area around Smiltene was a part of the
Latgalian lands of
Tālava. 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 The tradesmen and craftsmen village around it - Smiltestele - first is mentioned in historical documents in 1427, since 1523 it was called a town. During the
Livonian war the castle and the town were brought to ruin by the army of
Ivan the Terrible. Under
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Smiltene and the area surrounding it were controlled by the
starosta Kaspar Mlodecki. In the early stages of the
Great Northern War Smiltene was burnt down by the
Russian army. After the war the area became devastated due to hunger and
Bubonic plague. In 1708 the
Swedish government built a new church and started the restoration of the village of Smiltene. In 1760 the Russian empress
Catherine II gave Smiltene manor as a present to the
Governor-General Georg von Braun (Yuri Broun). During this time the manor was restored, from 1763 to 1771 were built manor buildings which have been still preserved. After the death of Braun his heirs sold the manor to the Riga merchant J.S.Baundau whose family had it for almost 100 years. In 1893 the Smiltene manor was bought by
Paul Lieven (of the
Lieven family of
Baltic German aristocrats), who split the land into parcels – thus creating the foundations of the modern day city. In 1901
electricity was connected in the Smiltene manor house. For Lieven's money a hospital, sawmill and electric station were built in Smiltene in 1903. After his suggestion and with his financial support a
narrow gauge railway was built from Smiltene to
Valmiera. In 1920 Smiltene was granted the town rights in the
Latvian Republic. In 1935 there were more than 400 dwelling houses and many industrial companies in Smiltene. On September 22, 1944 during the retreat of the
Nazi army at least 297 buildings were destroyed in Smiltene. In 1950 Smiltene become the administrative centre of the newly created
Smiltene district. In 1959 the district was merged with
Valka district, which existed until the administrative territorial reform of 2009. ==Sights==