Raseborg Castle

P3

Today's view of the castle

The Raseborg ( swedish Raseborgs slott, finn Raaseporin linna ) is a medieval castle in the south of Finland. It is located in the Town of Raseborg in the landscape Uusimaa.

Location

The Raseborg is a hilltop castle. It was built on a rock which was originally surrounded on all sides by water, so it was accessible from the sea by boat. Today, the same river flows past at some distance on her. The castle is situated on the south coast of Finland in Western Uusimaa halfway between Helsinki and Turku near the village Snappertuna that belongs to the city Ekenäs since 1977. Since 2009 is the Castle of the newly founded city Raseborg, which resulted from the merger of Ekenäs, Karis and Pohja the name.

The Raseborg is built on the historic route of the Varangians, who had the Finnish coast pass on their way from the European trading centers Hedeby, Birka and Gotland to their trading partners among the Slavs and Byzantium.

History

The first written mention of Raseborg found in 1378 documents of the Swedish Empire Droste Bo Jonsson Grip, of Finland 1371-1384 reigned. From these documents does not indicate how old the castle at this time is, according to present knowledge one assumes, however, that the construction work began in 1374 and grip was not only the owner but also commissioned the construction. The castle walls were built in several phases on a glaciated rock and surrounded the almost square granite castle in the shape of a horseshoe. At the castle two outdoor courtyards were grown. The large round tower was built in the 15th century.

The Raseborg was the seat of Kronvogts, who was responsible for managing the western coast of Finland. She was a major trading center and is responsible for the defense of Swedish interests in trade with the Livonian Hanseatic city of Reval. On the hill next to the castle - the Galgbacken - was executed by the Swedish Bishop Hemming Gadh on behalf of the Danish King Christian II on 16 December 1520.

Early 16th century, took over King Gustav I. Wasa dominion over Sweden and Finland. He held the castle for outdated, especially what concerned their defenses against firearms. Therefore, he transferred the duties of the castle to the newly founded cities Tammisaari (now Ekenäs ) and Helsinki. In 1553 the castle was abandoned and fell three centuries.

In the 1890s to 1988 -renovation work began. The renovation has been discontinued from the official side before completion, since a complete restoration, owing to insufficient information about the original structure of the castle was not possible. Until the termination of the work, the floors, stairs and galleries have been restored and roofed.

Current usage

The ruins are open to visitors. In summer, numerous events are organized by Raseborgs Festspel. These include a midsummer festival, antique markets, medieval festivals, concerts and theater performances. In the vicinity of the castle houses a folk museum, an old wooden church and a youth hostel.