Olavinlinna
| Olavinlinna | ||
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| Alternative name (s): | Olofsborg ( Swedish ) | |
| Creation time : | 1475 | |
| Castle type : | Niederungsburg, island location | |
| Conservation status: | Receive | |
| Place: | Savonlinna | |
| Geographical location | 61 ° 51 '50 " N , 28 ° 54' 4" E | |
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Olavinlinna (Swedish Olofsborg , German Olafsburg , formerly Nyslott ) is a medieval castle . It is located in the Finnish city of Savonlinna . Today it is considered to be the best preserved medieval castle in Northern Europe.
location
Olavinlinna is a low castle . It is located in southeastern Finland in the middle of the lake district in the Saimaa lake system. Built on the small rocky island of Kyrönsaari , it is separated from the mainland by Lake Pihlajavesi and the Kyrönsalmi River . Despite the northern location, the fast flowing water rarely freezes, which used to make defense easier. A pontoon bridge that leads to a small island in front of the town of Savonlinna, which in turn can be reached via a bridge, is the only access route from the mainland.
Together with the Pihlajavesi, Olavinlinna forms one of the 27 national landscapes of Finland .
history
At the beginning of the 14th century, when Finland was still part of the Kingdom of Sweden , the Treaty of Nöteborg laid the border between Sweden and the Russian state of Novgorod across Karelia . Precise regulations were lacking in the largely undeveloped region of Savo , which is why the eastern border of Sweden-Finland, protected only by a castle in Vyborg , remained contested. To strengthen security and to control important waterways, the Swedes decided to build another castle. Olavinlinna was founded by Erik Axelsson Tott and named after Saint Olof . Construction began in 1475.
Ivan III had the castle besieged twice in 1495 and 1496 in vain. Even during King Gustav's war against Russia (1555–1557), the castle held numerous attacks by the enemy. It was not until the Great Northern War (1700–1721) that the Swedish soldiers had to surrender to the Russians in 1714 after a long siege, because food and ammunition had run out. In 1721 the Swedes got the castle back through the Peace of Nystad . By the peace treaty of Åbo , which ended the Russo-Swedish War (1741–1743) 22 years later , the castle returned to the Russians in 1743.
After the Russo-Swedish War (1808–1809) Sweden lost control of Finland. In 1809, the Grand Duchy of Finland was proclaimed an autonomous part of the Russian Empire . Olavinlinna thereby lost its military importance. The Russian soldiers left the castle in 1847.
After that, the castle served as a prison for several years. In the 1860s, however, two fires caused great damage, which is why the castle was initially without function. After all, the first restorations took place as early as the 19th century, and a thorough renovation was carried out between 1961 and 1975. They were completed in time for the castle's 500th anniversary. Since then, Olavinlinna has been open to the public.
Todays use
In 1912 the castle was discovered by Aino Ackté as the venue for the Savonlinna Opera Festival and, after a 37-year break, revived in 1967 by the tenor Peter Klein . Since then, the festival has taken place every July in the castle courtyard, which is covered with a rain cover during these weeks. The rest of the year, Olavinlinna is a tourist attraction that can be visited without restrictions. There is hardly any interior furniture from the past, which is why the rooms accommodate two smaller exhibitions. One exhibits Orthodox icons and religious artifacts from Finland and Russia, the other various artifacts from the castle and its surroundings.
Some of the rooms - u. a. the Linnantupa (German Great Hall ), the Kuninkaansali (German King's Hall ) and the ecumenical chapel - can be rented for weddings, celebrations, seminars and other events.
investment
The first construction phase took about ten years. In this the main castle was built, which rises on the western and higher side of the island. It consisted of three towers (bell tower, church tower, St. Eriks tower), which were connected by surrounding walls. With its completion, Olavinlinna was armed for defense. In the next phase of construction, which began immediately afterwards, the outer courtyard was built, which contained two more towers. By the end of the 15th century, the construction work on the living quarters was also completed. The castle at that time had five round towers and high walls.
At the beginning of the 18th century, one of the first three towers, the St. Eriks Tower, was either pulled down or collapsed by itself. When the Russians took over the castle in 1743, new construction work began to improve the defenses. This resulted u. a. the angular bastions .
There is not a single well within Olavinlinna, which is unique for a castle built for defensive purposes. In the past, water for daily use had to be fetched from the surrounding waters. Both the church tower and the bell tower have been equipped with toilet cores since the 15th century , as they were used as residential towers at that time. These bay windows are considered to be the earliest toilets in northern Europe to be installed directly in the living area.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Paul Harding, Jennifer Brewer: Finland. 4th edition. Lonely Planet, Footscray 2003, ISBN 1-74059-076-7 , p. 29.
- ↑ Oskar Alin : Sveriges nydaningstid, fran 1521 till 1611. år Hiertas, Stockholm 1889 ( Sveriges historia från äldsta tid till våra dagar. 3), p.209.
- ↑ Petri Juuti, Tapio S. Katko, Heikki S. Vuorinen: Environmental History of Water. IWA Publishing, London 2007, ISBN 978-1-8433-9110-4 , p. 33.
- ↑ Petri Juuti, Katri Wallenius: Kaivot ja käymälät. Johdatus historiaan esimerkkinä Suomi. = Brief History of Wells and Toilets - the case of Finland. ( Memento of the original from February 25, 2012 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. Tampere University Press, Tampere 2005, ISBN 951-44-6251-3 , pp. 80f.
- ^ Norma J. Livo, George O. Livo: The Enchanted Wood and Other Tales from Finland. Libraries Unlimited, Englewood CO 1999, ISBN 1-56308-578-X , p. 42.
literature
- Antero Sinisalo: Olavinlinnan rakentamisen vaiheet suuresta Pohjan sodasta nykypäiviin. Pyhan Olavin kilta, Savonlinna 1986, ISBN 951-99684-6-6 .
- Antero Sinisalo: 500-vuotias Olavinlinna. = 500 årig Olofsborg. = 500 years old Olavinlinna. Valtion painatuskeskus, Helsinki 1976, ISBN 951-46-2056-9 .
Web links
- Official website (Finnish, partly also English)
- Information from Museovirasto (Finnish, Swedish, English)
- Olavinlinna Castle on Burgenwelt.org (German)