Cēsis (Latvian pronunciation: [tseːsis] ⓘ), (German: Wenden, Livonian: Venden, Estonian: Võnnu, Polish: Kieś) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Central Vidzeme Upland.

The oldest settlement in Cēsis is the hillfort on Riekstu hill, a fortified wooden castle built by a tribe known as the Vends.

German crusaders known as the Livonian Brothers of the Sword began construction of a castle Wenden near the hill fort in 1209.

In 1577, during the Livonian War, the garrison destroyed the castle to prevent it from falling into the control of Ivan the Terrible, who was decisively defeated in the Battle of Wenden (1578).

Beside the granary there is the oldest brewery in Latvia—Cēsu Alus, which was built in 1878 during the latter years of Count Sievers' residency, but its origins date back to the period of the Livonian Order.

The park has the romantic characteristic of that time, with its footpaths, exotic plants, and the waters of the pond reflecting the castle's ruins.

In the second half of the 19th century, the construction of the Rīga-Pskov highway (1868) and the Rīga-Valka railway line (1889) accelerated the development of the town.