Maasi Fortress Ruins

Saaremaa, Estonia

Maasi medieval fort-castle was built with the forced labour of islanders. That's how the ruling Liivi order punished indigenous inhabitants for the uprising, which had destroyed orders previous stronghold. Seaside fort-castle was undefeated until destroyed by Danes. The fortress was blown up in 1576 by the Danes in an attempt to forestall the Swedish invasion and nothing was done for the next 300 years. 8m walls that survived the destruction have become a landmark.

Reference: VisitEstonia

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Kuivastu mnt 5, Orissaare, Saaremaa, Estonia
See all sites in Saaremaa

Details

Founded: 14th century
Category: Ruins in Estonia
Historical period: Danish and Livonian Order (Estonia)

More Information

www.saaremaa.ee
www.visitestonia.com
www.aviastar.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Muhu Museum (4,4 km)
St. Mary's Church (4 km)


Haapsalu Castle (50,9 km)
Church Of The Congregation Of Maria Magdalena (51,1 km)
Läänemaa Museum (51,1 km)
St John's Church (51,1 km)
Suuremõisa Manor (35,4 km)
Ungru Manor Ruins (46,2 km)
Mihkli Farm Museum (62,1 km)
Kihelkonna Church (64,1 km)
Muhu Church (10,4 km)

User Reviews

Martin Jambor (6 months ago)
Ruins of central building of castle. To that fun but worth seeing if you have 10 minutes :)
Povilas Petrauskas (9 months ago)
For those that find abandoned places fascinating this is a must to visit. Castle is located close to the sea, on top of a small hill with a beautiful park-like nature and combined it results in a wonderful view. You can walk on the upper part of ruins or go to explore the dungeons. Inside looks untouched, so you'll see exactly as it was before. Personally I enjoyed the sightings and recommend to take a short detour and see this wonderful piece of history.
Toomas Salumaa (10 months ago)
Ok spot for a quick drive through.
Kristjan Kinna (10 months ago)
Easy to get there. Not much to look. No fee for enterance. Good place to make camping stop for night.
Triinu Rains (10 months ago)
One of the few very well preserved older forts which the locals help keep up. We got a little tour from a lady who sold souvenires there, in Estonian. There's no ticket price, but it's nice to offer a little to help with the upkeep of the ruins.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Must-see historic sighs in Luxembourg
Photo from Flickr, copyright swamp dragon

Historic Site of the week

Limburg Cathedral

The Cathedral of Limburg is one of the best preserved late Romanesque style buildings. It is unknown When the first church was built above the Lahn river. Archaeological discoveries have revealed traces of a 9th-century church building in the area of the current chapel. It was probably built in Merovingian times as a castle and the chapel added in the early 9th century.

In 910 AD, Count Konrad Kurzbold (cousin of the future King Konrad I) founded a collegiate chapter of 18 canons, who lived according to the rule of Bishop Chrodegang of Metz, on the hilltop site. The original castle chapel was torn down and a three-aisled basilica was built in its place. The foundations of this basilica have been found beneath the present floor.

The construction of current cathedral is dated to 1180-90. The consecration was performed in 1235 by the archbishop of Trier. It seems certain that the cathedral was built in four stages. The first stage encompassed the west facade, the south side aisle, the choir and the transept up to the matroneum. This section forms the Conradine church. The second stage consisted of the addition of the inner pillars of the south nave. In this stage the bound system was first introduced. In the third phase, the matroneum in the southern nave was built. The fourth stage included the north side of the transept and the choir matroneum. By this stage Gothic influence is very clear.

The interior was destroyed by Swedish soldiers during the Thirty Years War (1618-48) and reconstructed in a late Baroque style in 1749. The Baroque renovation was heavy-handed: the surviving medieval stained glass windows were replaced; all the murals were covered up; the ribs of the vaults and columns of the arcades were painted blue and red; the capstones were gilded; the original high altar was replaced. The colorfully painted exterior was coated in plain white and the central tower was extended by 6.5 meters.

The collegiate chapter of Limburg was dissolved in 1803 during the Napoleonic period, but then raised to the rank of cathedral in 1827 when the bishopric of Limburg was founded. Some renovations in contemporary style followed: the walls were coated white, the windows were redone in blue and orange (the heraldic colors of the Duke of Nassau) and towers were added to the south transept (1865).

Further changes came after Limburg was incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia in 1866. It was now the Romantic period and the cathedral was accordingly restored to an idealized vision of its original Romanesque appearance. The exterior stonework was stripped of all its plaster and paint, to better conform with the Romantic ideal of a medieval church growing out of the rock. The Baroque interior was stripped away and the wall paintings were uncovered and repainted.

Further renovations came in 1934-35, enlightened by better knowledge of the original art and architecture. Art Nouveau stained glass windows were also added. A major restoration in 1965-90 included replastering and painting the exterior, both to restore it to its original appearance and to protect the stonework, which was rapidly deteriorating while exposed to the elements.

The interior is covered in medieval frescoes dating from 1220 to 1235. They are magnificent and important survivals, but time has not been terribly kind to them - they were whitewashed over in the Baroque period (1749) and uncovered and repainted with a heavy hand in the Romantic period (1870s) before finally being restored more sensitively in the 1980s.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2019 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.