I love the look of this castle, so very different from the medieval castles I know from other countries. In France they often look like fairytale castles but this one is so solid, massive and so impressive.
Kastelholms slott, to give it its Swedish name, was originally built on a small island surrounded by moats. It is on Åland, the main island of the archipelago of the Åland Islands which consists of over 6000 islands or islets. It is an autonomous region of Finland where Swedish is spoken. It is separated from Sweden by only 38 kilometres (24 miles) of water.
The castle was built in the 1380s, but severely damaged in 1599. It was repaired but burned down in 1745. It has - obviously - been reconstructed and restored, and now is a major tourist attraction.
Oh, I don't know. It kind of gives me the creeps. I don't think I'd want to be stuck inside on a dark and stormy night.
ReplyDeleteIt looks almost like a child's toy. Is that a golf course there as well?
ReplyDeleteHi Christine! I don't find it too spooky at all, not like the one in Slovenia, Predjamski Grad which really did give me the shivers.
ReplyDeleteYes, Bob, a golf course, the Åland golf club with 36 holes. One of the top 100 clubs in the world, they say.
Seems a bit paranoid to build moats if you are already on an island. The old Swedes were nothing if not thorough. Should have spent some of the moat money on fire hoses, though. Perhaps. I may be over-thinking this. :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't tell you all. They also had stakes in the moats. That, I feel sure, would reduce the need for fire hoses. I don't know who they thought might scale those walls.
ReplyDeleteReally doesn't look like what I think castles are supposed to appear. It is interesting though.
ReplyDeleteWell, it seems like the castle is almost brand new!!! What an interesting place.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see that even though it looks different from what we know of castles, it still has many of the defensive and observation points. It is quite lovely and reminds me a tiny bit of St James's Palace, with its deceptive plain looks.
ReplyDeleteMissed this when it was posted.
ReplyDeleteIt's a grand place, but only a few miles further on are the ruins of Fort Bomarsund, a Russian fortress which was taken by a joint British-French assault in 1854. (First Victoria cross ever awarded)
repair and restoration always seems to be going on at Kastelholm, and I was told there's a work camp there where low-risk prisoners pay their debt to society. (For instance... caught drunk-driving? a mandatory custodial sentence of, I think, thirty days labour).
I think it looks a great place and it seems like a good use of drunk drivers, restoring it. All I need now is to find a card of Fort Bomarsund. I don't think I have one yet.
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