Sulkava Hill Fort, Sulkava, Finland

The hill fort is located to the rock hill with high cliffs in Pisamalahti. The hill fort rises about 55 meters above Enovesi lake.

First record of the fort dates back to the year 1561, but it was probably built in the Iron or Middle Ages. According one hypothesis it was built by Carelian people against conquerors from Tavastia (Häme) historical province. There is a 120 meters long and 2-3 meters high stone wall on the top of the hill.

Pisamalahti hill fort is one of the most valuable ancient fortresses in Finland. The hill and the surrounding lake landscape are popular tourist attraction in the Sulkava area.

Address

Linnavuorentie 306, Sulkava, Finland

See all sites in Sulkava

Details

Founded: 1100-1300
Category: Ruins in Finland
Historical period: Iron Age (Finland)

More Information

www.rajupusuwiki.fi
www.wishcats.fi

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Matti Muhonen (2 years ago)
Amazing rock formation!

George Forth (2 years ago)
Amazing to the extreme. Don't expect any signage but you can find some of the Iron Age fort walls to the north when you get to the top. The views are *stunning*. And if it's hot, bring your swimmers as there's a jetty to jump into the lake.

Atte Hinkka (2 years ago)
In credible sights!

Robert King Jr. (3 years ago)
Cozy fireplace at the base, but hill itself is not spectacular. The fort is nothing but some leftover rocks, and the view is OK at best.

Jyri Virtanen (3 years ago)
Fantastic place to visit. Two piers (deep water). Fire place with Wood provided free. Incredible view from top.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Frans.Sellies

Historic Site of the week

Kromeriz Castle and Gardens

Kroměříž stands on the site of an earlier ford across the River Morava. The gardens and castle of Kroměříž are an exceptionally complete and well-preserved example of a European Baroque princely residence and its gardens and described as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The first residence on the site was founded by bishop Stanislas Thurzo in 1497. The building was in a Late Gothic style, with a modicum of Renaissance detail. During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was sacked by the Swedish army (1643).

It was not until 1664 that a bishop from the powerful Liechtenstein family charged architect Filiberto Lucchese with renovating the palace in a Baroque style. The chief monument of Lucchese's work in Kroměříž is the Pleasure Garden in front of the castle. Upon Lucchese's death in 1666, Giovanni Pietro Tencalla completed his work on the formal garden and had the palace rebuilt in a style reminiscent of the Turinese school to which he belonged.

After the castle was gutted by a major fire in March 1752, Bishop Hamilton commissioned two leading imperial artists, Franz Anton Maulbertsch and Josef Stern, arrived at the residence in order to decorate the halls of the palace with their works. In addition to their paintings, the palace still houses an art collection, generally considered the second finest in the country, which includes Titian's last mythological painting, The Flaying of Marsyas. The largest part of the collection was acquired by Bishop Karel in Cologne in 1673. The palace also contains an outstanding musical archive and a library of 33,000 volumes.

UNESCO lists the palace and garden among the World Heritage Sites. As the nomination dossier explains, 'the castle is a good but not outstanding example of a type of aristocratic or princely residence that has survived widely in Europe. The Pleasure Garden, by contrast, is a very rare and largely intact example of a Baroque garden'. Apart from the formal parterres there is also a less formal nineteenth-century English garden, which sustained damage during floods in 1997.

Interiors of the palace were extensively used by Miloš Forman as a stand-in for Vienna's Hofburg Imperial Palace during filming of Amadeus (1984), based on the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who actually never visited Kroměříž. The main audience chamber was also used in the film Immortal Beloved (1994), in the piano concerto scene.

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

Looks like you are a history fan!

Do you know an ancient castle or hidden ruins near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory. It's absolutely free, easy, and you can do it even without registration (of course you an also create an free account)!

Sulkava Hill Fort