17 Jun 2024
My Spring Tour 2024 – Part 2: From Turku back to Kiel
Helsinki also offered the chance for a day trip. Turku, the oldest town in Finland, is only about two hours bus ride away, and a nice ride through an interesting landscape it is, too. I put it in this post because the other post got too long already.
Turku, the Aura river with the cathedral in the background
For a long time. Turku had been a Swedish town (Ǻbo), because Finland had been part of the Kingdom of Sweden. The town developed along the river Aura in the 13th century. When Finland became a Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire in 1809, Turku was its capital, but a few years later Tsar Alexander I moved the capital to Helsinki with its fortress Sveaborg/Suomenlinna.
Turku Castle
One of Turku’s landmarks is the castle. The oldest parts date back to the late 13th century, built on what then was an island in the Aura river. At the time the castle was the seat of the Swedish administration of the provice Eastland, as Finland was called. During the following years, the castle was expanded and the fortifications strengthened.
Turku Castle, the outer curtain walls
The castle played a role in inner-Swedish struggles and wars between the Scandinavian countries on several occasions. In the mid-16th century, Duke John of Finland (a son of Gustav Vasa) who was married to the Polish princess Katarzyna Jagiełłonka, added a Renaissance wing to the castle and altered rooms in the Mediaeval part as well. Since then, the castle was not changed nor damaged.
Turku Castle, the Renaissance wing
The castle lost its status as administrative centre in the 17th century. Nowadays it is a museum – a veritable maze of rooms, many of them with historical furniture – and a visitor magnet for tourists.
Tartu, European Capital of Culture 2024
Market square with the town hall in the background
Next stop was Tartu (back from Helsinki to Tallinn by ferry, and to Tartu by bus), the European Capital of Culture 2024. Many visitors of Estonia concentrate on Tallinn, but Tartu is definitely woth a visit; it has a lot of pretty corners and a relaxed atmosphere.
Tartu, ruins of the 13th century cathedral
Tartu – also known in Germany as Dorpat – is mentioned in Russian chronicles and said to have been a Russian foundation of the 11th century, but it first played a major role during the Northern Crusades in the early 13th century when the town was conquered by the Teutonic Knights in 1224, and converted into the bishopric of Dorpat. Tartu/Dorpat also became an important member of the Hanseatic League, connecting the ways from Tallinn to Pskov and Novgorod.
Tartu, view from the Angel’s Bridge
In the centuries to follow, Tartu – and with it often at least parts of Estonia – changed possession several times during various wars. 1558 to Russia, 1583 part of Poland-Lithuania, 1625 to Sweden (when King Gustav Adolf founded the university in 1332). 1704 back to Russia.
Tartu, old wooden houses in Supilinn quarter
Estonia became independent for the first time in 1920, was contested by Germans and the Sovjet army during WW2 (in 1939, many German speaking inhabitants of Tartu moved to Germany due to the Hitler-Stalin Pact), and member of the USSR until the second independence of Estonia in 1991.
Tartu, at the river Emajõgi
The town had suffered by a great fire in 1775, and again faced destruction during WW2, but after the independence, many older buildings in Tartu have been restored. Today, it is a charming town with a youthful atmosphere due to the many students.
Sigulda Castle
Next stop was Sigulda in Latvia; somewhat northeast of Riga. I picked the town as stopping point because it has two Mediaeval castles and a third in day trip distance. It is also prettily situated in the forested hills of the Gauja National Park.
Sigulda Castle, curtain wall from the inside
The two main powers in Livonia (= basically todays Latvia and Estonia) were the – predominantely German, due to the Northern Crusades – bishops and and the Livonian Branch of the Teutonic Knights, and to some extent the citizens of Riga, most of them also from Germany. All three were at cahoots more often than they worked together against outside enemies, and so a lot of castles were built.
Sigulda Castle, remains of the great hall
Sigulda (Segewold) Castle was buit by the Livonian Sword Brothers in 1207, to control the Gauja river and prevent attacks from the bishop’s castle at Turaida on the hill at the other side. There were several mutual attacks nevertheless. The castle became the seat of the Land Marshal of the Livonian Teutonic Knights in 1432. In later centuries, it suffered during the various wars I’ve already mentioned.
Sigulda, the new castle
Since 1737, Sigulda was a private property with various owners. The Kropotkin family used the ruins only as picturesque park feature and built a new palace in the Neo-Gothic style nearby in 1878. Today that building houses the Sigulda Region Council.
Gauja river valley
The Gauja valley separates the castles of Sigulda and Turaida which are only 5 kilometres apart. The area is more hilly than Estonia with its long stretches of birch and pine forests and moors; it reminded me of the German mittelgebirge.
Turaida Castle
Turaida (Treyden) Castle was commissioned by Albert of Buxthoeveden, Archbishop of Riga in 1214, and built by the Livonian Sword Brothers; both got along at that time. They had just defeated a host of pagan Estonians who had laid siege to the wooden stronghold of the Christian Livian leader Caupo. The masons of the order used bricks like in Małbork Castle and in most churches in Germany and the Baltic states.
Turaida Castle, the western building
Turaida Castle saw another siege when the citiziens of Riga – allied with the still pagan Lithuanians – attacked the Livonian Order in 1298. The Order was defeated, but after it received reinforcements from the Teutonic Knights, the residents of Riga and Lithuanians were defeated in turn.
Turaida Castle, the north-eastern wing
The defensive systems of the castle were improved in later centuries, esp. in the early 15th century as firearms became more common. At that time, the semi-rounded western tower was erected. The inner yard was filled with domestic buildings.
Turaida Castle was the seat of the bailiff of the archbishop of Riga until the secularization of the archbishopric in 1566. It lost its military importance, and after a fire in 1776, the castle became a ruin.
Cēsis Castle
Cēsis (Wenden) Castle is one of the most important castles in Latvia. It, too, was constructed by the Livonian Sword Brothers on the site of a tribal fortification, after the local tribe, the Wends, had been converted to Christianity. But the original castle from 1214 had been thoroughly altered when the Livonian Sword Brothers merged with the Teutonic Knights in 1236. The latter set up Cēsis according to the castellum pattern they used for their castles. Only the old chapel remained unchanged.
Cēsis Castle, remains of the hall
The castle became the seat of the commander (Komtur) of the Livonian Branch of the Teutonic Knights and the Order’s administrative headquarter for Livonia. During the rule of Wolter von Plettenberg (1450-1535), Cēsis Castle was fortified with additional towers to suit the upcoming artillery warfare, and the chapter hall and master’s chamber underwent changes to make them look more grand.
Cēsis Castle, inside the round tower
Cēsis Castle was damaged during the Livonian War (1577) by a Russian army under Ivan the Terrible. Later, the castle came to Sweden and was the property of the High Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna. In 1681, the Swedes put a garrison in the castle who obvioulsy went rough on the movable goods, including timbers and lead. The castle was further damaged during the Northern War (1700-1720) and remained a ruin.
Open Air Museum Molfsee/Kiel, a barn from Wilmsdorf
The ferry from Klaipeda arrives at Kiel in the evening, so I prefer to stay overnight and take the train home the next afternoon (better connections). Last year, I used the time for a boat tour on the Kiel Firth, this year I visited the Open Air Museum Molfsee. I had been there as a child, but that was quite a few years ago. :-)
Molfsee – house from Barsbek
The museum collects farm houses, barns, cottages, mills and more from all over the county of Schleswig-Holstein. Those buildings are often still in decent shape but are no longer used because they are too old-fashioned. So they are deconstructed and rebuilt/renovated on the museum grounds. The oldest house dates to 1596, but most are from the 18th/19th centuries.
Frisian house from Westerland, with the typical whale bone gate
The museum first opened in 1958 and has grown ever since. Today, there are more than 70 houses and other buildings. The historical northern German houses are pretty different from the ones I’ve seen in the Baltics and Finland; mostly half timbered or constructed of bricks.
Roses in the Botanical Garden Tartu
I’ll leave you with some pretty roses from the Botanical garden in Tartu. ¶ June 17, 2024
Helsinki also offered the chance for a day trip. Turku, the oldest town in Finland, is only about two hours bus ride away, and a nice ride through an interesting landscape it is, too. I put it in this post because the other post got too long already.
For a long time. Turku had been a Swedish town (Ǻbo), because Finland had been part of the Kingdom of Sweden. The town developed along the river Aura in the 13th century. When Finland became a Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire in 1809, Turku was its capital, but a few years later Tsar Alexander I moved the capital to Helsinki with its fortress Sveaborg/Suomenlinna.
One of Turku’s landmarks is the castle. The oldest parts date back to the late 13th century, built on what then was an island in the Aura river. At the time the castle was the seat of the Swedish administration of the provice Eastland, as Finland was called. During the following years, the castle was expanded and the fortifications strengthened.
The castle played a role in inner-Swedish struggles and wars between the Scandinavian countries on several occasions. In the mid-16th century, Duke John of Finland (a son of Gustav Vasa) who was married to the Polish princess Katarzyna Jagiełłonka, added a Renaissance wing to the castle and altered rooms in the Mediaeval part as well. Since then, the castle was not changed nor damaged.
The castle lost its status as administrative centre in the 17th century. Nowadays it is a museum – a veritable maze of rooms, many of them with historical furniture – and a visitor magnet for tourists.
Market square with the town hall in the background
Next stop was Tartu (back from Helsinki to Tallinn by ferry, and to Tartu by bus), the European Capital of Culture 2024. Many visitors of Estonia concentrate on Tallinn, but Tartu is definitely woth a visit; it has a lot of pretty corners and a relaxed atmosphere.
Tartu – also known in Germany as Dorpat – is mentioned in Russian chronicles and said to have been a Russian foundation of the 11th century, but it first played a major role during the Northern Crusades in the early 13th century when the town was conquered by the Teutonic Knights in 1224, and converted into the bishopric of Dorpat. Tartu/Dorpat also became an important member of the Hanseatic League, connecting the ways from Tallinn to Pskov and Novgorod.
In the centuries to follow, Tartu – and with it often at least parts of Estonia – changed possession several times during various wars. 1558 to Russia, 1583 part of Poland-Lithuania, 1625 to Sweden (when King Gustav Adolf founded the university in 1332). 1704 back to Russia.
Estonia became independent for the first time in 1920, was contested by Germans and the Sovjet army during WW2 (in 1939, many German speaking inhabitants of Tartu moved to Germany due to the Hitler-Stalin Pact), and member of the USSR until the second independence of Estonia in 1991.
The town had suffered by a great fire in 1775, and again faced destruction during WW2, but after the independence, many older buildings in Tartu have been restored. Today, it is a charming town with a youthful atmosphere due to the many students.
Next stop was Sigulda in Latvia; somewhat northeast of Riga. I picked the town as stopping point because it has two Mediaeval castles and a third in day trip distance. It is also prettily situated in the forested hills of the Gauja National Park.
The two main powers in Livonia (= basically todays Latvia and Estonia) were the – predominantely German, due to the Northern Crusades – bishops and and the Livonian Branch of the Teutonic Knights, and to some extent the citizens of Riga, most of them also from Germany. All three were at cahoots more often than they worked together against outside enemies, and so a lot of castles were built.
Sigulda (Segewold) Castle was buit by the Livonian Sword Brothers in 1207, to control the Gauja river and prevent attacks from the bishop’s castle at Turaida on the hill at the other side. There were several mutual attacks nevertheless. The castle became the seat of the Land Marshal of the Livonian Teutonic Knights in 1432. In later centuries, it suffered during the various wars I’ve already mentioned.
Since 1737, Sigulda was a private property with various owners. The Kropotkin family used the ruins only as picturesque park feature and built a new palace in the Neo-Gothic style nearby in 1878. Today that building houses the Sigulda Region Council.
The Gauja valley separates the castles of Sigulda and Turaida which are only 5 kilometres apart. The area is more hilly than Estonia with its long stretches of birch and pine forests and moors; it reminded me of the German mittelgebirge.
Turaida (Treyden) Castle was commissioned by Albert of Buxthoeveden, Archbishop of Riga in 1214, and built by the Livonian Sword Brothers; both got along at that time. They had just defeated a host of pagan Estonians who had laid siege to the wooden stronghold of the Christian Livian leader Caupo. The masons of the order used bricks like in Małbork Castle and in most churches in Germany and the Baltic states.
Turaida Castle saw another siege when the citiziens of Riga – allied with the still pagan Lithuanians – attacked the Livonian Order in 1298. The Order was defeated, but after it received reinforcements from the Teutonic Knights, the residents of Riga and Lithuanians were defeated in turn.
The defensive systems of the castle were improved in later centuries, esp. in the early 15th century as firearms became more common. At that time, the semi-rounded western tower was erected. The inner yard was filled with domestic buildings.
Turaida Castle was the seat of the bailiff of the archbishop of Riga until the secularization of the archbishopric in 1566. It lost its military importance, and after a fire in 1776, the castle became a ruin.
Cēsis (Wenden) Castle is one of the most important castles in Latvia. It, too, was constructed by the Livonian Sword Brothers on the site of a tribal fortification, after the local tribe, the Wends, had been converted to Christianity. But the original castle from 1214 had been thoroughly altered when the Livonian Sword Brothers merged with the Teutonic Knights in 1236. The latter set up Cēsis according to the castellum pattern they used for their castles. Only the old chapel remained unchanged.
The castle became the seat of the commander (Komtur) of the Livonian Branch of the Teutonic Knights and the Order’s administrative headquarter for Livonia. During the rule of Wolter von Plettenberg (1450-1535), Cēsis Castle was fortified with additional towers to suit the upcoming artillery warfare, and the chapter hall and master’s chamber underwent changes to make them look more grand.
Cēsis Castle was damaged during the Livonian War (1577) by a Russian army under Ivan the Terrible. Later, the castle came to Sweden and was the property of the High Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna. In 1681, the Swedes put a garrison in the castle who obvioulsy went rough on the movable goods, including timbers and lead. The castle was further damaged during the Northern War (1700-1720) and remained a ruin.
The ferry from Klaipeda arrives at Kiel in the evening, so I prefer to stay overnight and take the train home the next afternoon (better connections). Last year, I used the time for a boat tour on the Kiel Firth, this year I visited the Open Air Museum Molfsee. I had been there as a child, but that was quite a few years ago. :-)
The museum collects farm houses, barns, cottages, mills and more from all over the county of Schleswig-Holstein. Those buildings are often still in decent shape but are no longer used because they are too old-fashioned. So they are deconstructed and rebuilt/renovated on the museum grounds. The oldest house dates to 1596, but most are from the 18th/19th centuries.
The museum first opened in 1958 and has grown ever since. Today, there are more than 70 houses and other buildings. The historical northern German houses are pretty different from the ones I’ve seen in the Baltics and Finland; mostly half timbered or constructed of bricks.
I’ll leave you with some pretty roses from the Botanical garden in Tartu. ¶ June 17, 2024
