Medieval castle of Olavinlinna / Castillo medieval de Olavinlinna / Château médiéval de Olavinlinna

July 1, 2011

Medieval castle of Olavinlinna / Castillo medieval de Olavinlinna / Château médiéval de Olavinlinna

Filed under: Best places to go,Castle-Olavinlinna,Towns-Savonlinna,Travel in Finland — Sartenada @ 06:12
Tags: Architecture, auberge, bastille, borg, burcht, burg, cabane, castello, castelo, Castillo, Castillo medieval de san Olaf, Castle, castle photos, castle pics, castles in finland, castles in summer, castles in winter, Château, Château médiéval de St Olaf, château-fort, church, citadela, citadelle, cittadella, détention, dentro castillo medieval olavinlinna, Europe, Festung, Finland, fort, fotos del castillo de san olaf, gnouf, Herrenhaus, historic, historic castles, historical, Historical castles, History, history of st olaf's castle, hrad, στενή, φυλακή, κάστρο, kale, kastély, kasteel, Knast, lapák, medieval, Medieval castle of St Olaf, Museum, Nordic countries, Olavinlinna, olavinlinna castle, old castles, opera festivals, opera festivals in savonlinna, palais, palota, Photography, Photojournalism, photos from medieval castles, photos vieux châteaux en finlande, Piece of metal, Places, Prison, Resort, san olaf, saray, Savonlinna, savonlinna sights, Scandinavia, schloss, sightseeing in savonlinna, Sites, slot, solar, st olaf, St. Olaf’s Castle, taule, Tourism, Town, Travel, Travel destination, Travel photography, Travel photos, Treasure, vár, violon, Visits, zámek

In English:

Olavinlinna is in English St. Olaf’s Castle and in Swedish it is Olofsborg, is a fortification. It was founded in 1475 by Danish born knight Erik Axelsson Tott. St. Olaf’s Castle is said that it is the oldest medieval stone castle here in the North. Its purpose was to protect Russian attacks from the East.

The castle is situated on an island in the middle of fast-flowing river. This did not finally help against the enemy which took it over in 1714. To me it was curious to hear from guide that did not have cannons. Solders were using bows and swords! The stairs of the castle were planned very narrow and steep. In those old days solders were right handed and that meant when attacking in stairs only left handed enemy could use sword with skill.

Originally Olavinlinna had four towers, but the fourth was damaged badly in 1714. Only three lowest were left, raised later and the fourth was dismounted. Water was on much more higher level and it can be seen in photo # 52. Photos 53 and 54 are presenting the ram of castle. It is said that once when the castle was attacked in the darkness of night, the ram came standing over wall and enemy was frightened it. Maybe they were superstitious and thought that they saw the devil, but who knows.

There is one interesting curiosity – world’s first water closet. Outside it can be seen in photos # 9 and # 10 Inside You can see it in photo #36. When a man went in the toilet, everything went straight into a river. At historic days the level of water was at more higher level. I have always been thinking what fishes thought about this.

By car from Helsinki it takes 3 hour and 30 minutes to the town of Savonlinna. It is open for public year round, but part (big courtyard) of it is closed during Savonlinna Opera Festivals which are held in July.
The castle is worth for visit, if I say it very simply. My series of photos are from 2006, 2007 and 2011, so You see that I love it. In 2011, I visited also in winter and then I took photos from big courtyard which closed during Opera Festivals. My photos are ending with winter photos and with three scale model to give better overview. I hope that my photos give to You good idea about Olavinlinna.

Resumen esn español:

El castillo de Olavinlinna se halla en un ciudadillo de Savonlinna y fue fundado en 1475. Es el mejor castillo preservado en Escandinavia entera. Durante verano allí hay Festival de Ópera de Savonlinna.
Résumé en francais:

Château-fort de Olavinlinna est situé dans une petite ville de Savonlinna et il a été fondé en 1475. Il est le mieux préservé château-fort dans toute la Scandinavie. Pendant l’été, il est le lieu de Festival d’opéra de Savonlinna.

Medieval castle of Olavinlinna / Castillo medieval de Olavinlinna / Château médiéval de Olavinlinna

Do not miss these posts / No te olvides de estos correos / Ne manquez pas de ces messages

Town of Savonlinna / Ciudad de Savonlinna / Ville de Savonlinna

Savonlinna cruising 1 / Savonlinna crucero 1 / Savonlinna croisière 1

Castle of Olavinlinna in winter / Castillo de Olavinlinna en invierno / Château de Olavinlinna en hiver

Comments (50)

50 Comments »

That was so interesting…I wish we had the old buildings Europe does! Thanks Matti for a lovely story…how narrow is that staircase?

Comment by convictstock — July 1, 2011 @ 10:40 | Reply
- Hi Convictstock.
  
  Thank You stopping by and leaving Your comment. Staircases are narrow really. Well, two men cannot pass each others. In photos number #37, # 38, # 39 and # 40 (to get easily the number of photo, then move mouse pointer over the photo and You get the number) it can be seen clearly. Staircases are also very steep as photo # 40 shows. This was made intentionally that the enemy could not easily conquer the castle.
  
  Happy Friday!
  
  Comment by sartenada — July 1, 2011 @ 10:58 | Reply
BEAUTIFUL pictures! Thank you for sharing! I’ve never had the opportunity to travel outside the United States so I truly love all your pictures!

Vanessa in Oklahoma, USA

Comment by pineneedles4 — July 1, 2011 @ 13:56 | Reply
- Hello Pineneedles4.
  
  Thank You for Your visit and comment. I am glad if my post gave to You a window to my small and quite unknown country in the Northern part of Europe. U.S.A. is full of wonders and I have only been visiting in Florida, California, Nevada and in New York. I have heard about the musical called Oklahoma by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, but I do not know the real Oklahoma.
  
  Happy Friday!
  
  Comment by sartenada — July 1, 2011 @ 14:31 | Reply
Wonderful series again Matti… I truly like medieval atmosphere, so I’m delighted by this 😉 Have a lovely day 🙂

Comment by Tamara — July 1, 2011 @ 17:15 | Reply
- Hello Tamara.
  
  So nice to read Your comment. I think that showing this castle clothed in summer and winter “costume” was good idea, because its medieval atmosphere remains in both cases.
  
  Happy weekend!
  
  Comment by sartenada — July 1, 2011 @ 17:32 | Reply
I can see why you like this castle. It is fascinating! I’m amazed at how thick the walls are. Thanks for sharing about it. Also, thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. 🙂

Comment by Cheryl — July 1, 2011 @ 17:59 | Reply
- Hi Cheryl.
  
  Thank You for Your vist and making a comment. I am so glad that You liked my post and took a tour of the castle thru my photos.
  
  Happy Saturday!
  
  Comment by sartenada — July 2, 2011 @ 07:05 | Reply
Excelente recorrido. Cuánto me encantaría caminar por todos esos pasadizos, escuchando la música de ese órgano!!!! Sería excatamente como un viaje en el tiempo. Gracias por tan bello aporte

Comment by Consuelo Quesada — July 1, 2011 @ 19:21 | Reply
- Saludos Consuelo.
  
  Querida amiga, ah lo veo, que has vista el órgano, eso me alegre mucho. Se dicen que el órgano del castillo son los mas pequeños en Finlandia. Nunca durante mis visitas no he oido sus sonido.
  
  Te deseo un muy buen fin de semana y tus queridos.
  
  Comment by sartenada — July 2, 2011 @ 07:28 | Reply
I enjoyed seeing the castle very much, Matti! I can easily understand why you like to visit there: I would like to visit it too! I would imagine it was a very cold place in winter. Wouldn’t it have been fascinating to see that battle in 1714!

Comment by montucky — July 2, 2011 @ 00:23 | Reply
- Hello Montucky.
  
  How nice that You also liked my favorite castle. In winter stone is cold, You know that. In historic days there must have been cold, windy and wet. I can easily imagine how much coughing there have been! 🙂 At night it has been hard to sleep.
  
  For clothes there was not so much space to keep. This is shown in photo # photo 32, which shows the maidens room of the castle with a wardrobe.
  
  Oh yes, the battle in 1714 must have been terrible, because this kind of castle is not so easily to be taken over in the middle of the river. Personally I would have been a good swordsman in spiral stairs, because I’m left-handed. 🙂
  
  Happy Saturday!
  
  Comment by sartenada — July 2, 2011 @ 07:21 | Reply
Number 32 was a wardrobe?…man, she mustnt’ve had many shoes!!!

Comment by convictstock — July 2, 2011 @ 09:25 | Reply
- Hi Convictstock.
  
  Yes, in photo number 32 You can see how “huge” wardrobe maidens had. It is sure that they were not using high heels! 🙂
  
  Comment by sartenada — July 2, 2011 @ 13:11 | Reply
Wow! What a rugged and old castle! I’d enjoy a tour in a castle as I haven’t seen a castle before. Enjoyable series of photos. Very interesting!

Comment by Anna — July 2, 2011 @ 19:49 | Reply
- Hello Anna.
  
  I am so glad if my photos gave to You how a “real” castle is looking like. Thank You stopping at my blog site and leaving Your nice comment.
  
  Happy Sunday!
  
  Comment by sartenada — July 3, 2011 @ 08:20 | Reply
Can you imagine the manpower, the time, and the materials involved in the making of a castle?

Absolutely astounding!

I love castles, so thanks for the beautiful photos!

Comment by Deli Lanoux, Ed.D. — July 3, 2011 @ 18:55 | Reply
- Hi Deli Lanoux, Ed.D.
  
  Very good point of view to the history of construction of this castle. Answer to Your question is, no I cannot imagine. Thank You very much for Your visit and comment.
  
  Happy Monday!
  
  Comment by sartenada — July 4, 2011 @ 07:53 | Reply
St Olaf’s Castle is such an interesting castle!
I love the castle in both winter and summer.
The feelings are different.
I was wondering what type of toilet paper people used in the past?!

Comment by London Caller — July 4, 2011 @ 15:55 | Reply
- Hello London Caller.
  
  I am so glad that also my winter photos pleased to You. I wanted to show both summer and winter photos just to complete each others and to provide contrast. Well, Your question, one thing is sure that it was not soft. 🙂 You are not only one who has mulled over it, because when on guided tour, people can ask from the guide strangest questions. To some questions there are answers through the tales, but in many cases there is no answer. Anyway when living there in the Middle Ages
  times must have been hard.
  
  Thank You for Your visit and comment. Happy Monday!
  
  Comment by sartenada — July 4, 2011 @ 16:48 | Reply
Prestigieux et magnifique ! Je suis impressionnée par la largeur des murs (3-4 m ?), certainement pour la sécurité et contre le froid. Très beaux murs en granit, selon un guide sur la Finlande que j´ai lu. Bravo pour tes belles photos, Matti, été comme hiver. Le paysage environnant est superbe aussi. Quel beau pays tu habites ! Je suis en train de lire le “Kalevala”, votre grande odyssée finnoise. Merci de nous faire visiter des sites uniques.

Comment by isathreadsoflife — July 6, 2011 @ 09:31 | Reply
- Bonjour Isa.
  
  Je me rejouis de ta belle réponse. Merci beaucoup! C’était une grande surprise á moi, que tu connais notre Kalevala! Dans notre école, nous avons eu à le lire, mais ce n’était pas à mon goût.
  
  Belle journée á toi.
  
  Comment by sartenada — July 6, 2011 @ 16:26 | Reply
wow! Nous n’avons pas de château comme ça où j’habite. Très belle collection d’images! J’adore les couloirs sombres et les fenêtres qui diffuse une douce lumière. Merci du partage! Bon week-end!

Anne

Comment by annejutras — July 8, 2011 @ 00:34 | Reply
- Bonjour Anne.
  
  Moi, j’aime aussi ces couloirs sombres et peut-être j’ai réussi á les présenter dans mes photos comme elles sont.
  
  Merci beaucoup pour ton visit et gentil commentaire.
  
  Belle journée!
  
  Comment by sartenada — July 8, 2011 @ 07:49 | Reply
This castle is beautiful in all weather conditions… Fantastic series ! Have a great weekend Matti 🙂

Comment by Tamara — July 9, 2011 @ 13:31 | Reply
- Hi Tamara.
  
  You said it so nice: “beautiful in all weather conditions”. I am glad that You liked winter photos also.
  
  Thank You.
  
  Happy week-end to You too!
  
  Comment by sartenada — July 9, 2011 @ 13:47 | Reply
oh my..this is truly an exciting tour of the castle..excellent details and I especially love the winter scene..your last three photos of scale model gave a good overview of this marvellous place indeed. Superb 5*****
Thanks for the tour, Matti 🙂

Comment by Anne — July 15, 2011 @ 12:44 | Reply
- Hello Anne.
  
  Thank You leaving so nice comment. Personally I like too very much from those winter photos.
  
  Happy week-end!
  
  Comment by sartenada — July 15, 2011 @ 13:56 | Reply
Stunning. Love both the winter and summer photos. I would think it would feel like walking into a fairy tale or history book to walk into a place like that. I have always hear that old castles are damp and cold, but they still look and sound so romantic! Had a little laugh over the first “water toilet”. Glad it is no longer in use, though!

Comment by kateri — July 15, 2011 @ 12:49 | Reply
- Hello Kateri.
  
  So nice comment, thank You. Well, the “world’s first water toilet” is a thing that makes one to smile. 🙂
  
  Happy week-end!
  
  Comment by sartenada — July 15, 2011 @ 13:58 | Reply
Matti, what a fabulous series of stunning photos from this very special and beautiful Medieval castle of Olavinlinna. I am really surprised to find a castle like this in Finland, I must go and see that once!!

Comment by truels — July 20, 2011 @ 00:55 | Reply
- Hi Truels.
  
  Thank You for Your nice comment. You are welcome and at same time remember to visit in Kerimäki world’s biggest wooden church. Distance between them is only about 30 kilometers / 18.6 miles. From Denmark to Finland it is easy travel. By car thru Sweden and then by boat to Turku. It is a historic town with many interesting things to “study” as You’ll see later in my posts.
  
  Happy Wednesday!
  
  Comment by sartenada — July 20, 2011 @ 08:07 | Reply
  - Oh, you remember how I loved the wooden church! I really must visit both places, I hope to do it in one of the next years 🙂
    
    Comment by truels — July 20, 2011 @ 22:46 | Reply
- You are welcome, Sir. There will be more interesting things to be found in my country and those You will find when following my posts. One interesting start could be checking all my holiday posts in Finland and them You’ll find under Categories. If You’ll come, then contact me for ideas, routes etc., all depending about what You are interested in. During next autumn there will be some Helsinki posts.
  
  Thank You for Your interest towards my country.
  
  Comment by sartenada — July 21, 2011 @ 06:42 | Reply
you are lucky to see the real castle.. i only get it’s mini version. pictures are veryyy beautiful.. thanks for the heads up

Comment by Love 2 Type — October 15, 2011 @ 13:41 | Reply
- Hello Love 2 Type.
  
  I hope that You see it someday live. Thank You for Your comment.
  
  Comment by sartenada — October 16, 2011 @ 10:16 | Reply
Great place. I’ll visit this iadland this week. 🙂

Comment by cocomino — September 4, 2012 @ 16:51 | Reply
- Hello Cocomino.
  
  I am glad that You liked my post which inspired You. Thank You leaving Your comment.
  
  Happy Tuesday!
  
  Comment by Sartenada — September 4, 2012 @ 17:14 | Reply
I think that 16, 29 and 46 are my favourites! I love pictures of brick work and different textures. Looks like a beautiful day to have taken a trip here. I’ve never visited Finland, in fact I haven’t seen much of Scandinavia, just a trip to Sweden some years back. I’d love to do some exploring! 🙂

Comment by mskatykins — February 6, 2013 @ 12:37 | Reply
- Hello Mskatykins.
  
  Thank You very much visiting my blog and leaving Your kind comment. This historic castle is the most beautiful in our country. There are some more. In winter we have always World’s Biggest Snow Castle. We’ll visit again next week.
  
  Have lovely day!
  
  Comment by Sartenada — February 6, 2013 @ 12:45 | Reply
very beautiful castle, thanks Sartenada 🙂

Comment by Jean-Paul Cerny — August 3, 2014 @ 21:41 | Reply
- Bonjour Jean-Paul.
  
  Thank You checking and commenting this post. The castle is different from those found in Europe, I think. It is during summer very popular place for Opera concerts.
  
  Have a great start of this new week!
  
  Comment by Sartenada — August 4, 2014 @ 07:15 | Reply
What a beautiful castle, your photos are stunning in winter as well.
I like the sign on the water-closet 😉

Comment by Tokeloshe — November 19, 2014 @ 01:41 | Reply
- Hi LInda.
  
  Thank You. You noticed surely that my heart belongs to this castle. It is the place that I would to show to the visitors which visit Finland. Nowadays I live at the distance of 1 hour by car from it. I am glad that You noticed the water-closet! 🙂
  
  Have a great day!
  
  Comment by Sartenada — November 19, 2014 @ 08:16 | Reply
Oh, I LOVE taking pictures inside castles, just as you do! It’s interesting what you wrote about right handed/left handed sword fighting. That reminds me of when I was in Scotland with my mother, my husband and my son. My mother was too old to climb in the castle ruins so she sat and waited for us. While she waited, she talked to many people. One of them told her he descended from the Kerr clan. The laird of their castle was left-handed. Most castles have spiral staircases that wind downward to the left, so that there is more room on the right for the fighter to use his sword with his right hand. However, the Kerr laird had his castle built with the spiral staircases winding downward to the right, so that there was more room on the left for him to wield his sword. This is very unusual, of course, because most people are right handed, but it is something interesting to notice when visiting castles: which way do the spiral staircases go downward?!

Comment by amoralegria — October 21, 2015 @ 04:14 | Reply
- Hi Amoralegria.
  
  Thank You for Your interesting comment. My daughter and I, we are left handed. 🙂
  
  Comment by Sartenada — October 21, 2015 @ 07:26 | Reply
An impressive castle!

Comment by Nemorino — November 30, 2018 @ 14:09 | Reply
- Hello Don.
  
  Thank You sir. The town where it is very beautify and it is by the lake.
  
  Happy weekend!
  
  Comment by Sartenada — December 1, 2018 @ 08:43 | Reply
Hello again, Thank you for directing me toward the St. Olaf fortification of Savonlinna. Your winter pictures give the castle island a lovely romantic ambiance, especially #62-64 & 68. Your description of the right versus left-handed sword fighters in the narrow stairwells was illuminating. We have visited a number of medieval fortifications here in France and in Germany, but that aspect has never been mentioned. At least, I didn’t recall it. Happy weekend!

Comment by CMKL — October 5, 2019 @ 10:52 | Reply
- Thank you very much.
  
  Comment by Sartenada — October 5, 2019 @ 12:20 | Reply