Raseborg Castle
| Raseborg | ||
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 Today's view of the castle |
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| Alternative name (s): | Raseborgs slott ( Swedish ), Raaseporin linna ( Finnish ) | |
| Creation time : | around 1374 | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Standing position : | Hilltop castle | |
| Construction: | Cuboid | |
| Place: | Ekenäs | |
| Geographical location | 59 ° 59 '30 " N , 23 ° 39' 4" E | |
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The Raseborg (Swedish. Raseborgs slott , Finnish. Raaseporin linna ) is a medieval castle ruin in southern Finland . It is located in the area of the town of Raseborg in the Uusimaa region .
location
The Raseborg is a hilltop castle . It was built on a rock that was originally surrounded by water on all sides, which is why it was accessible from the sea by ship. Today the Raseborgs River, named after the castle, flows past it some distance away. The castle is located on the south coast of Finland in western Uusimaa, halfway between Helsinki and Turku, near the village of Snappertuna , which has belonged to the town of Ekenäs since 1977. Since 2009 the castle has given its name to the newly founded town of Raseborg , which was created through the merger of Ekenäs, Karis and Pohja .
The Raseborg was built on a historical route of the Varangians , who had to pass the Finnish coast on their way from the European trading centers Hedeby , Gotland and Birka to their trading partners in the Slavs and in Byzantium .
history
The first written mention of the Raseborg can be found in 1378 in documents of the Swedish Imperial Drist Bo Jonsson Grip , who ruled Finland from 1371 to 1384. These documents do not reveal how old the castle was at that time, but based on current knowledge it is assumed that construction work began in 1374 and that Grip was not only the owner but also the client of the building. The castle walls were built in several phases on a glaciated rock and surround the almost square granite castle in the shape of a horseshoe . Two outer courtyards were added to the castle. The large round tower was built in the 15th century.
The Raseborg was the seat of the Crown Bailiff , who was responsible for the administration of the western south coast of Finland. It was an important trading center and was responsible for defending Swedish interests in trade with the Livonian Hanseatic city of Reval . On the hill next to the castle - the Galgbacken - the Swedish Bishop Hemming Gadh was executed on December 16, 1520 on behalf of the Danish King Christian II .
At the beginning of the 16th century, King Gustav I Wasa took control of Sweden and Finland. He thought the castle was out of date, especially in terms of its defenses against firearms . Therefore, he transferred the tasks of the castle to the newly founded cities of Tammisaari (now Ekenäs) and Helsinki . The castle was abandoned in 1553 and fell into disrepair for three centuries.
In the 1890s, the renovation work, which continued until 1988, began. The renovation was officially discontinued before completion, as a complete restoration was not possible due to incomplete information about the original structure of the castle. Until the work was stopped, the floors, stairs and galleries were restored and covered.
Todays use
The ruin is open to inspection. In summer Raseborgs Festspel organizes numerous events. These include a midsummer festival , ancient markets, medieval festivals , concerts and theater performances. In the immediate vicinity of the castle there is a folk museum, an old wooden church and a youth hostel.
literature
- Castella Maris Baltici I . In: Knut Drake (Ed.): Archaeologia Medii Aevi Finlandiae . tape I . Society for Medieval Archeology, 1993, ISBN 91-22-01566-3 , ISSN 1236-5882 .
Web links
- Official website (Finnish, Swedish, English)
- Raseborg profile at the National Board of Antiquities (Finnish, Swedish, English)
- Raseborg Castle on Burgenwelt.org (German)
Individual evidence
- ^ Raseborg Castle Ruins ( English ) Raseborg Open Air Theater. Archived from the original on March 16, 2014. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
- ↑ Carl Jakob Gardberg: Medieval Castles in Finland ( Memento of the original from September 25, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland)
