The arched gate
A red-brick entrance to the hills.
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The Viljandi Castle Ruins are the remains of a large 13th-century fortress in a park of green hills beside the town centre, looking over Lake Viljandi. Once one of the strongest castles in Livonia, the site is now a favourite for walks and summer events. Stone construction began in 1224 on the site of an older hillfort, after crusaders took control, and the place was chosen as the high seat of their order. The convent house, a typical form of castle of the Teutonic Knights, went up from the late 13th to the early 14th century, and the fortress kept growing over the next centuries. It was wrecked in the Polish-Swedish wars of the early 17th century and never repaired, and in the 18th century its ruins served as a quarry for the town. The first excavations came in 1878 and 1879. You arrive through a red-brick arched gate, then walk among hills and dry ditches to broken walls of stone and brick with wide openings. An open-air stage stands in the old central courtyard, and from the edges you look down to the lake. A suspension bridge links the castle park with the far side. The ruins lie about 129.2 km from Tallinn and 65.8 km from Tartu in a straight line. The green slopes can be slippery, so wear comfortable shoes, and do not climb the fragile walls. Summer events may close parts of the site, so check the programme.
A red-brick entrance to the hills.
Stone and brick with wide openings to the sky.
Looking down to Lake Viljandi from the edges.
Castle Hills Park, Viljandi, Estonia
We found none, since they sit in an open park, though summer events have tickets.
Start at the arched gate, see the ruins and stage, and finish with the lake view.