Photo. Olavinlinna. In swedish called Olofsborg; literally St. Olaf's Castle. Olavinlinna has three towers.
On 28 July 1714 the garrison capitulated to the invading Russians.
It took them only two days to take the castle in 1743.
The events leading up to the Treaty of Abo which awarded the entire region to Empress Elizabeth of Russia.
Olavinlinna is a 15th century three-tower castle located in Savonlinna, Finland. It is the world's most northern medieval stone fortress still standing.
Perched on a rocky islet of its own, Olavinlinna castle seems to rise improbably out of the water itself. Whether floodlit or sunbeaten, it's a breathtaking sight.
Despite appearances, the castle didn't prove particularly defensible, and the Russians finally grabbed the town for good in 1743. It was returned to the Finnish grand duchy in 1812; since independence it has been an important hub of Lakeland steamboat traffic; even today its passenger dock seems busier than the bus station, at least in summer.
The fortress was founded by Erik Axelsson Tott in 1475 under the name Sankt Olofsborg in an effort to profit from the political turmoil following Ivan III's conquest of the Novgorod Republic. It was sited in Savonia so as to lay claim to the Russian side of the border established by the Treaty of Nöteborg.
It is not by accident that a network of lakes and waterways forms the setting for the castle, for these would seriously impede a prospective Russian offensive.
Olofsborg withstood several sieges by the Russians during the the First and Second Russian-Swedish wars.
A brisk trade developed under the umbrella of the castle towards the end of the 16th century, giving birth to the town of Savonlinna, which was chartered in 1639.
Modern satelitte photos show today that the fortification was built 5 kilometres on the Russian ground.
Stein Morten Lund, 12 May 2009
Additional information
Today the castle hosts several small exhibitions, including the Castle Museum which displays artifacts found in the castle or related to it, and the Orthodox Museum which displays icons and other religious artifacts both from Finland and Russia.
The castle forms a spectacular stage for the Savonlinna Opera Festival, held annually in the summer since 1912.
External resources for more information about Olavinlinna:
Olavinlinna Castle
St. Olaf's Castle at the Finnish National Board of Antiquities
Savonlinna Opera Festival – Official website
Medieval castles in Finland
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