There are more than 1000 castles and castles in Estonia. Once upon a time, German and Russian landowners lived in them. Nowadays, many estates have become galleries, luxury hotels and gourmet restaurants.
Traveling through the countryside, tourists can see the elegant historical architecture. Some Estonian castles have been completely destroyed, but many have been restored and are open to visitors.
Almost all of the restored castles have their own well-kept garden, and the buildings contain art collections. Estonians and castles were divided into two types: the first belonged to the Livonian Order, and the second to the bishopric.
Paide Castle
The facility is located in Paide, a city in central Estonia. The castle was built on the orders of Conrad von Mandern, a knight of the Livonian Order in about 1265-1266. The center of the fortress was a six-story tower. Later, the castle walls were fortified and two more towers were built.
During the Livonian War, the castle was repeatedly besieged by Russian troops, and in 1573 it was captured by order of Ivan the Terrible. During the siege, his faithful servant Malyuta Skuratov died, which caused a terrible fury of the king. Ivan the Terrible ordered to burn all the captives. Having seized the fortress, the king returned to Novgorod, and the castle passed to the Swedes. Further, during the Swedish-Polish war, Paide Castle was completely destroyed, in this state it stood for two centuries.
In 1895-1897, restoration work began on the central tower and in some other parts of the castle. However, in 1941 during the Second World War, the central tower was blown up.
The fortress was completely restored already in the 90s, but it was of no great historical value. The tower housed an art gallery, a medieval-style restaurant, expositions on the history of the region and an observation deck with excellent views of the city.
Rakvere Castle
The facility is located in the north of Estonia in the city of Rakvere, 20 kilometers south of the Gulf of Finland. The first fortifications date back to around 1252. At first it was a wooden citadel built by the Danes Wesenberg. In 1346, a large stone castle was built on the site of a wooden fortress. During the Polish-Swedish war in 1600-1629, he was partially blown up and badly damaged.
Nowadays, Rakvere Castle Estonia has been partially restored; restorers managed to preserve the architecture of the Middle Ages. Tourists can visit the citadel, where the knightly life is recreated. The yard often hosts theatrical performances and excursions. Visitors can change into medieval costumes and work as a blacksmith or potter.
Narva Fortress
The Narva fortress or German castle was founded in 1256 by the Danes. In 1347, the King of Denmark, Waldemar, sold Northern Estonia (including Narva) to the Livonian Order, which rebuilt the building according to its requirements. Throughout its history, the castle belonged to Denmark, Russia, Sweden and Germany. During World War II, he was badly damaged. Restoration of the Narva fortress continues in our time. Now there is a museum, a library and a beautiful park.
Lode Castle
Lode Castle is also known as Koluvere. In 1439, he passed into the possession of Bishop Saare Lääne and became one of his main residences. Between 1646 and 1771, the castle belonged to the von Leuven family. By that time, the fortress had lost its military significance and henceforth was used as an aristocratic residence.
In 1771, the building passed into the hands of Grigory Orlov, after which it became the property of Empress Catherine the Great. Currently, Lode Castle in Estonia is privately owned and is only partially open to the public. The main function of the estate is to hold celebrations.
Haapsalu Castle
This is a bishop’s castle with a cathedral, the construction and reconstruction of which continued for several centuries. During the Northern War, the walls of the castle were partially destroyed by order of Peter I.
Haapsalu Cathedral was the main church of the Ezel Vic bishopric. At first it was used as a defensive structure. In 1688, the roof of the church was destroyed by fire. In the 18th century, reconstruction of the ruins in the castle park began, the church was also renovated and restored.
According to legend, in August, the full moon on the inner wall of the temple appears the image of the White Lady - a girl who was walled up in the walls of the church.
Tolse Castle
Its founder is considered the master of the Livonian Order Johann Waldhoun von Gerse. The castle was supposed to protect Rakvere from pirate raids. Construction lasted two centuries, but during the Livonian War, the structures were completely destroyed. Later there was an attempt to partially restore the fortress, but the Northern War did not allow these plans to materialize. The castle has completely turned into ruins.
The walls of the castle have survived to this day. The ruins were fortified and "mothballed." Now they are used by rock climbing lovers for their own purposes.
Põltsamaa Castle
Located in eastern Estonia, it was founded by the Livonian Order in 1272, as a defensive fortress of the crusaders. During the Livonian War, the castle was briefly occupied by Polish troops, and from 1570 to 1578 it served as the official residence of the Duke Magnus Holstein, who sought to create the Livonian kingdom with the help of Ivan the Terrible.
In 1941, the castle was almost destroyed by bombs. Today, the main buildings have preserved the church and several outbuildings.
Toompea Castle
It is a hill fortress in central Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Now it houses the country's parliament.
The fortress began to build the Danish king Waldemar after winning the battle of Lindanis over the pagans. The castle building was called the “Danish Fortress”, and the Russians called it “Kolyvan”. Later in the castle was built a tall tower "Long Herman", which was used as an observation post.
Toompea Castle is perfectly preserved and is considered a historically valuable architectural ensemble of the Baltic states.
Kuressaare Castle
The fortress was built at the crossroads of the most important trade routes. At first, the small building was used as the residence of the bishop. Construction was completed around the year 1400. Kuressaare fortress is one of the few that survived to this day. Small damage to the building was caused during the Northern War, but they were quickly repaired.
In 1968-1985, large-scale reconstruction works were carried out, during which the destroyed parts of the towers were restored. Now there is a museum in the fortress, and the surroundings have been turned into a picturesque park.
Estonian castles - estates
Maaryamägi is the former residence of Count Orlov-Davydov, nowadays it is a branch of the Estonian History Museum.
Sangaste, or Sagnitz Castle, is one of the last fortresses of the Livonian Order. There is a museum in the building, an oak grows in the park, which, according to legend, was planted by Tsar Peter.
Taagepera is a manor in the village of the same name, which is often called a castle due to its large size. It was recognized as a landmark of Estonia, now it operates a hotel, and weddings are often held.
Alatskivi is a manor castle in the village of the same name. Nowadays, the estate hosts conferences, seminars, a museum of Eduard Tubin, a restaurant and a small hotel.
Estonian castles open to visitors offer medieval architecture. They hold exhibitions, cafes and museums. Visiting these sights, you can make a trip a few centuries ago. And you also need to take a photo of Estonian castles, because they are all located in picturesque places in the Baltic states.