Kuressaare Castle, Estonia

The Kuressaare Castle is a medieval castle located in the town of Kuressaare on Saaremaa island in Estonia. The castle was built by the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek in the 14th century but the castle was first mentioned in written sources in year 1381. It served as the residence of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek until 1559 when the Kuressaare Castle was sold to the Danes which modernized its defense system but according to the Treaty of Brömsebro in 1645 the castle passed to Sweden.



During the Great Northern War (1700-21) in 1710 was the castle captured by the Russian army without resistance but before they left in 1711 they blew up the wings of the bastions, the Cannon Tower, while damage was caused also to some of the vaults of the convent building and the interior of the Defence Tower. With the Treaty of Nystad of 1721 the town and the Kuressaare Castle passed to the Russians who afterwards rebuilt and reconstructed the castle. After the Third Partition of Poland in 1795 and Russian conquest of the Finnish territories in 1809 the Kuressaare Castle lost its military importance and was in 1836 sold to the Knighthood of Saaremaa who restored it during the 19th and 20th centuries. The castle went through extensive restoration also in the second half of the 20th century and is today open to the public. Since 1892 the castle houses the Saaremaa Regional Museum but it is used also for concerts and other cultural events.