In the Middle Ages, narrow, winding streets with artisans' and merchants' houses were formed on all sides around the Cēsis Castle and the church, closely packed together. Although the medieval buildings of Cēsi were completely lost as a result of warfare and countless fires, the historical center of the city has preserved its medieval layout almost unchanged until today.
Currently, in the old town, you can see the majority of the most historically and architecturally outstanding houses of Cēsis.
In historical sources, the name of Cēsis (Wenden) was mentioned for the first time in 1206, however Cēsis as a city was mentioned in documents only in 1323. In the adjacent castle lived, in 13th-15th century intermittently, but since 1481 permanently the master of the Livonian Order - the feudal lord of the city. Cēsis was also member of the Hanseatic League.