Wesenberg Castle (Rakvere)

Wesenberg Castle (Rakvere)
	Wesenberg Castle
Alternative name (s):	Wierland ; Castle, Rakvere Castle
Creation time :	13th Century
Castle type :	Hilltop castle
Conservation status:	Received or received substantial parts
Place:	Rakvere
Geographical location	59 ° 20 '52 " N , 26 ° 21' 8" E Coordinates: 59 ° 20 '52 " N , 26 ° 21' 8" E

The castle Wesenberg (also Castle Wierland or Rakvere Castle is called) an important castle ruins in the city of Rakvere in northern Estonia .

history

View of the Wesenburg in 1794

Site plan of the castle from the 19th century

On the castle hill, a ground moraine, there was a castle called Tarvanpe in prehistoric times.

The successes of the Teutonic Order against the Prussians and the Order of the Brothers of the Swords in Livonia prompted the Danish King Waldemar II to also carry out a campaign against the pagan Estonians. In 1219 the Danes landed on the coast of Estonia and gradually occupied the north-east of Old Livonia.

By the middle of the 13th century, the Danes built the first stone buildings on the castle hill. They were in the shape of a fort and were surrounded by extensive wooden palisades . In 1267 the castle was first mentioned in Russian sources as Rakovor . In 1268 the battle of Wesenberg took place near the castle , which ended with a victory of the united Russian troops from Novgorod and Pskov over the united troops of the Danes and the Brothers of the Sword. This meant that the losers stopped trying to expand into Russia for about 30 years.

In 1346 Denmark sold its Livonian dominion to the Teutonic Order . Soon after, the order began to expand the castle as the seat of a bailiff . The Danish fort was converted into a convent house with a much larger floor plan. The existing building fabric was largely used. Two slender stair towers were built at the corners on the south side. The regular southern bailey was also built during this time. The circular tower was built at the beginning of the 16th century.

During the Livonian War (1558–1581) the Russians occupied the castle and built a spacious, irregular outer wall .

After severe damage in the 16./17. The castle was abandoned in the 19th century. After the Northern War (1700–1721) the people of Rakveres used the castle as a quarry to rebuild their destroyed city.