Porkuni Castle Tower, Lääne-Virumaa, Estonia

Only foundations and one gate-tower have survived of the so-called fortified Tafelgut that used to belong to the bishop of Tallinn.

The castle was erected on a hill by the Porkuni lake in 1479 by Simon von der Borch. Cannon towers stood in the corners of the camp castle shaped as an irregular rectangle. The circular wall and the towers did not probably reach their height all at the same time, but in the course of a longer period. This claim is backed up by the gate tower - rectangular at the bottom and octagonal at the top. The machicolation frieze adorning the top of the tower dates back to a much later time, as proved by comparing the engravings of Porkuni produced in the 17th and 19th centuries. The castle was severely damaged during the Livonian War. The castle tower currently houses museums.

User Reviews

Joosep Taluväli (2 years ago)
Nice museum

KristjanS (2 years ago)
Really nice views, beautyful manor but needs to be restored. Great lake for swimming.

dimikb “dimikb” (2 years ago)
Nice, spot. But too bad it's in such a dilapidated state.

Urmas Sepp (2 years ago)
History of Estonia

Urmo Ustav (3 years ago)
Not renovated but still awsome.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Geraldine Curtis

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