Louhisaari manor castle was built in the late medieval ages by the remarkable Fleming noble family. The present main building was completed in the 1650s and represents the rare palatial architecture in Finland. The grounds have an extensive English-style park, complete with paths. Louhisaari belonged to the Fleming family for over three hundred years. The lack of money forced them to sell the manor to the family of Mannerheim in 1791. Finland’s Marshall C.G.E. Mannerheim was born there in 1867.
The festive floor and the service floor are in 17th-century style and furnished to match. The middle floor, where the actual living quarters were, was modernised during the 18th and 19th centuries, and the rooms in this part of the castle reflect the interior-decoration styles of that time.
Government of Finland bought Louhisaari in 1961 and opened it to the public couple of years later.
Nowadays it’s open in summer time. Admission to the museum only in the company of a guide, tours in Finnish at half hourly intervals.
Duino Castle was built by the Wallsee family in 1389 on the cliffs overlooking the Gulf of Trieste. It replaced an older castle from the 11th century. Over time, the Wallsee family disappeared and the castle, after having been used as a prison, became the residence of the Luogar and Hofer.
At the end of the 19th century it became the property of Prince Alexander von Thurn und Taxis from the Czech branch of the House of Thurn and Taxis. It remains with the family to this day with his great-grandson Prince Carlo Alessandro della Torre e Tasso, Duke of Castel Duino the current owner. The castle has been opened to the public as a museum and park.