- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 15th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Southern Savonia, Finland
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 61.8637°, 28.9012°
History
The castle was founded in 1475 by Erik Axelsson Tott, a Danish-born Swedish governor, to guard the kingdom's eastern frontier against Muscovy. It was named after St Olaf, and its walls rose on an islet in a strait whose strong current hindered the water from freezing in winter. Over the centuries it was besieged and rebuilt many times to adapt it to firearms, and in the 18th century it passed to Russia. After losing its military role it served among other things as a prison, and it was restored in the 19th and 20th centuries. Today it is one of Finland's foremost monuments.
What to see
A pontoon bridge leads to the castle, where you can explore massive round towers, courtyards, a chapel and knights' halls, as well as exhibitions on the fortress's history and Orthodox icons. The walls look out over the lakes and the town of Savonlinna. Every summer the courtyard hosts the renowned Savonlinna Opera Festival.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q251272
Popularity: articles about this site in 30 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).