olavinlinna
Medieval Olavinlinna St. Olaf's Castle (http://www.nba.fi/en/olav...) is the city's symbol and main attraction. Built in 1475 by Danish knight Erik Axelsson to protect the eastern border of the Swedish-Danish Kalmar Union, it was named after the patron saint of knights, St. Olaf. The Russians were soon on the offensive, but the castle withstood several sieges before capitulating in 1714. The Swedes recaptured it in 1721, but lost it again in 1743, and it stayed in Russian hands ever since. This also explains why it has stayed in such good shape: for the Russians, it was far inland and militarily useless, and hence not a target for the enemy either.
Today, Olavinlinna is the world's northernmost medieval stone castle and easily Finland's best-preserved and most attractive castle, and it's quite a sight perched on the shores of the lake. The interior, though, is surprisingly small and sparse virtually all furniture and decorations were lost in fires in around 1870, and guided tours take one hour. There are two small museums inside the castle:
Castle Museum
covers the castle's historyOrthodox Museum
with Russian Orthodox icons and paraphernaliaThe castle is open daily 10AM-6PM in summer, 11AM-4PM during the rest of the year. Guided tours in English run every hour in summer enquire in advance at [email protected] in other seasons, but you can still visit the museums and courtyards without it.
