Kyminlinna, Kotka, Finland - SpottingHistory.com

Kyminlinna fortress was part of the South-Eastern Finland fortification system built by Russia after Russo-Swedish War of 1788-1790. Kyminlinna and Ruotsinsalmi sea fortress formed together a defense line, which was planned to stop enemies attacking from the west. First fortress was a bastion constructed in 1791-1795 by the general Aleksandr Suvorov. The older part was replaced only couple of years later by the much bigger five-corner caponier fortress (built in 1803-1808). When Russia occupied Finland in the Finnish war, Kyminlinna lost its defensive status. Only real battle in Kyminlinna was fought in the Finland civil war (9.4.1918) between German forces and red guards.

Nowadays the fortress area is owned by the Finnish government and it's open for public.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Timo Keveri (32 days ago)
Ulkoapäin katsottuna vähän sanomattoman näköinen vanha linnoitus, pitäisi mennä katsomaan paremmin ja päästä sisäpuolelle. Edellisestä kerrasta on päälle 30 vuotta kun tuli oltua tämän linnan muurien sisällä.

Juha Viljanen (41 days ago)
Ainutlaatuinen linnoitus kaipaa aktiivista toimintaa. Kyminlinna on Kotkan hiomaton timantti odottamassa löytäjäänsä. Missä tahansa muualla maailmassa paikka olisi aktiivisessa käytössä, vaan ei meillä. Kotkansaari keskeisyys rajoittaa paikallisten toimintaa liikaa. Ehkäpä tarvitaan ulkopuolinen ihminen näkemään Kyminlinnan mahdollisuudet ja paikan keskeinen sijainti moottoritien varrella.

Soile Virkkilä (3 months ago)
Hieno linnoitus, mutta sisäpuolelle ei pääse kuin pari kertaa vuodessa

Jaska Vaste (2 years ago)
Very nice historic place. Finnish people like remember war with russians. "Winter war"

Renata Cristina (2 years ago)
The wall of a castles if you kotka good place to visite.

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Eketorp is an Iron Age fort in southeastern Öland, which was extensively reconstructed and enlarged in the Middle Ages. Throughout the ages the fortification has served a variety of somewhat differing uses: from defensive ringfort, to medieval safe haven and thence a cavalry garrison. In the 20th century it was further reconstructed to become a heavily visited tourist site and a location for re-enactment of medieval battles. Eketorp is the only one of the 19 known prehistoric fortifications on Öland that has been completely excavated, yielding a total of over 24,000 individual artifacts. The entirety of southern Öland has been designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Eketorp fortification is often referred to as Eketorp Castle.

The indigenous peoples of the Iron Age constructed the original fortification about 400 AD, a period known to have engendered contact between Öland natives with Romans and other Europeans. The ringfort in that era is thought to have been a gathering place for religious ceremonies and also a place of refuge for the local agricultural community when an outside enemy appeared. The circular design was believed to be chosen because the terrain is so level that attack from any side was equally likely. The original diameter of this circular stone fortification was about 57 metres. In the next century the stone was moved outward to construct a new circular structure of about 80 metres in diameter. At this juncture there were known to be about fifty individual cells or small structures within the fort as a whole. Some of these cells were in the center of the fortified ring, and some were actually built into the wall itself.

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Presently the fort is used as a tourist site for visitors to Öland to experience a medieval fortification for this region. A museum within the castle walls displays a few of the large number of artefacts retrieved by the National Heritage Board during the major decade long excavation ending in 1974. Inside the fort visitors are greeted by actors in medieval costumes who assume the roles of period artisans and merchants who might have lived there nine centuries earlier. There are also re-enactment scenes of skirmishes and other dramatic events of daily life from the Middle Ages.

Eketorp lies a few kilometers west of Route 136. There is an ample unpaved parking area situated approximately two kilometers west of the paved Öland perimeter highway. There is also a gift shop on site. During peak summer visitation, there are guided tours available. Visitors are assessed an admission charge.

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