Kuressaare Castle

About this place

Kuressaare Castle is a square stone stronghold set in a green park in the town of Kuressaare, on the island of Saaremaa in western Estonia. Ringed by a moat and massive earthworks, it is among the country's finest and most complete castles, and it now houses the Saaremaa Museum. The earliest written record dates from the 1380s, when the Teutonic Order began building it for the local bishops, and it stayed one of the bishopric's most important castles until the bishopric ended. Denmark-Norway seized it in 1559 and modernised the fortifications, it passed to Sweden after the Peace of Brömsebro, and the Swedes kept upgrading it until 1706. After the Great Northern War it became part of the Russian Empire, its garrison left in 1836, and it was restored in 1904 to 1912 and again in 1968. You cross a wooden bridge over the moat into open ground between the ramparts, then pass vaulted tunnels in the fortifications on the way to the stone building with its red-roofed towers. From the top you look out over the harbour, sea and trees, and on calm evenings the fort is mirrored in the moat. The castle stands close to central Kuressaare, about 186.1 km from Tallinn in a straight line, and visitors usually arrive by ferry and road. The park and outer ramparts are open for walking, while the museum keeps set hours and may not open every day, so check before coming. Allow an extra half hour to circle the moat.