Helme Castle

Valgamaa, Estonia

Helme church parish was first mentioned in 1329 during a Lithuanian raid. Most of the neighbouring land was fiefed in the 15th–16th centuries. Livonian Order castle in Helme (Ordensburg Helmet) was probably built in the first half of the 14th century.

The site on a steep hill is belived to have been used as a stronghold earlier by Sackalians in the Ancient Estonia. By its ground plan the order castle was 120×60 m oval shaped structure, surrounded by two moats. There was a borough beside the castle in the Middle ages, it was mentioned until the 17th century. The castle was destroyed by the Swedes during the Russo-Swedish War in 1658. Nowadays only parts of the walls with high window holes have survived.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: ca. 1330
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Estonia
Historical period: Danish and Livonian Order (Estonia)

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

daniil orlov (10 months ago)
Just some ruins of a castle, nothing much
Viktoria (2 years ago)
The ruins of the Order's castle of Chelme on a steep hill. Not a bad place for a walk and for those who like to climb hills. A beautiful place surrounded by forest. There is also a cave nearby, quite deep, and a well with water about which there are legends. In good weather, you can walk along the trails in the forest.
Alan Bircs (2 years ago)
Nice place for hiking in dry weather. Dogs loved it.
Natalja (3 years ago)
Great place for a short and leisurely walk. In good weather, you can get good pictures. Nearby there is a cave, quite deep and there is also a source. The grounds are well-groomed and just a pleasure to walk around. It is worth making a stop here and taking a walk as a warm-up. There is also a swing that both adults and children can ride. We liked!
Олег Панов (3 years ago)
Эту достопримечательность мы увидели случайно, когда ехали из Пярну в Валгу, осмотрели быстро, только дома прочитали что же это за замок. Так что приводим текст из путеводителя. А ещё узнали, что если пройти дальше по парку, то там есть пещеры. Парковка бесплатная. Посетителей было мало. "..Развалины орденского замка в Хельме расположены на крутом холме около шоссе Пярну-Валга. Эта крепость была скорее всего построена в первой половине 14 века и сейчас от нее остались лишь высокие стены из бутового камня с пустыми провалами окон. Предание гласит, что для придания твердыне дополнительной прочности в стену замуровали юную девственницу. Стоит ли верить подобным легендам? Это уж кому как нравится! В разные периоды в крепости хозяйничали немцы, русские, литовцы и шведы. Последние и разрушили ее в 1658 году. Полезно знать: * В долине у холма журчит Докторский родник – считается, что его вода лечит от семи болезней.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Argos Theater

The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.

The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.

Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.