Details
Founded: ca. 1400Category: Religious sites in Estonia
Historical period: Danish and Livonian Order (Estonia)
Rating
5/5 (based on Google user reviews)
According the legend the church of St. Olav in Vormsi was originally built in 1219 in the guidance of Valdemar II, the King of Denmark. Although, the oldest parts of the church has been dated to the year 1400 (approximately). It has been renovated and reconstructed several times, at least in 1632, 1772 and 1929. The St. Olav’s church is unique for the fact that it has no belfry; the bell hangs above the door under the high ridge.
In the churchyard you can see several old tombs of the Swedish inhabitants, who lived in the Vormsi island until World War II. A bit furthrer is an old graveyard with the largest collection of wheel crosses in Estonia. The oldest cross dates back to 1743, the freshest one to 1923. All crosses are handmade by the peasants. Many of the wheel crosses bear clear writings but many of the crosses are of primitive treatment and have many grammatical errors. The crosses often bear the village names, sometimes also farm names, but almost always family marks. The wheel crosses often bear several dates which all show dates of death. Death dates were probably marked on an old family cross when the wooden cross on the grave decomposed. In 1977, Ministry of Arts started the inventory of wheel crosses.
References:Heidelberg Castle is a famous ruin and one of the the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps. The rich and eventful history of Heidelberg Palace began when the counts palatine of the Rhine, – later prince electors – established their residence at Heidelberg. The earliest castle structure was built before 1214 and later expanded into two castles circa 1294; however, in 1537, a lightning-bolt destroyed the upper castle. Until the Thirty Years’ War, Heidelberg Palace boasted one of the most notable ensembles of buildings in the Holy Roman Empire. The present structures had been expanded by 1650, before damage by later wars and fires. In 1764, another lightning-bolt caused a fire which destroyed some rebuilt sections.
The 19th century brought a new wave of admiration: a sight both terrible and beautiful, the ruins epitomised the spirit of the Romantic movement. Heidelberg Palace was elevated to a national monument. The imposing edifice and its famous garden, the Hortus Palatinus, became shrouded in myth. The garden, the last work commissioned by the prince electors, was never completed. Some remaining landscaped terraces and other vestiges hint at the awe-inspiring scale of this ambitious project. In the 17th century, it was celebrated as the “eighth wonder of the world”. While time has taken its toll, Heidelberg Palace’s fame lives on to this day.
Heidelberg Castle is located 80 metres up the northern part of the Königstuhl hillside, and thereby dominates the view of the old downtown. Set against the deep green forests on the north flank of Königstuhl hill, the red sandstone ruins tower majestically over the Neckar valley.
