HÄMEENLINNA CASTLE

Häme Castle has known glory and decline over seven centuries. The thick walls still show the signs of different eras, and are home to ancient ruins. Häme Castle has been restored to its former design, allowing visitors to wander through its medieval halls.

The creation of the castle

It is thought that the decision to create Häme Castle was taken following Swedish Count Birger's "crusade" into this part of Finland. No one knows for sure when this expedition took place; 1239 and 1249 have been suggested as possible dates. Whatever the case, the oldest parts of the castle almost certainly date from the late 12th century. An important aim of the Swedish expedition was to link the province of Häme more closely to the Swedish kingdom. This objective, influenced by foreign policy considerations, required the maintenance of a strong military fortress. Equally important, however, was the desire to tax this relatively wealthy region and thus impose certain requirements on external forms of government.

Häme Castle has had a long history, with many ups and downs. But it has been rightly said that construction work has continued for 700 years, right up to the present day. From this point of view, the extensive restoration work carried out over the last few decades is a continuation of the building process that began in medieval times.

The fortified camp

The oldest part of the castle is known as the fortified camp. This comprised a square-shaped grey stone wall, with defensive towers at the north, east and south corners. The walls were 33 meters long and around 7 meters high. It is thought that this fort included wooden shelters for the garrison, although no trace of this has been found. In addition to the walls, this part of the castle is home to some impressive sites, including a 12-meter-deep well which, although now dry, is still visible near the eastern corner of the fortress.

The grey stone fort The fortified camp, designed primarily for defense, may already have been built with later additions in mind. In the last decades of the 13th century, life at the fort was considerably improved by the construction of a series of brick-vaulted rooms just inside the walls. Among these is the main hall, currently available for banquets. This room is the oldest secular banqueting hall in the country. The entire second floor of the castle is in fact a unique testimony to medieval life in Finland.

The brick castle

New trends in fortress architecture and changes in the nation's political status brought Häme Castle to a new phase in the 14th century. Architecturally, the aim was to achieve a greater effect, and defensive elements were now redesigned to take account of the development of firearms.

The second half of the 14th century and the following century are known as the "brick castle" period. This refers to the fact that brick was, for all practical purposes, the only material used for exteriors. This made it possible to build rooms in a more refined style and add decorative detail to exteriors. The brick ornamentation visible in the courtyard is unique in Finland. The vaulted ceiling of the Great Hall or "King's Hall" also testifies to the high standard of medieval architecture.

Brick was a relatively little-used building material in Finland in the Middle Ages, and Häme Castle is also of exceptional importance in this respect.

The period from the 14th century to the first decades of the 16th century played an important role in the castle's history. Many of the names of Finland's most influential families are linked to this period in the castle's history. Although the material artefacts associated with these people have not survived, a visit to the castle offers a fascinating insight into a bygone era of grandeur.

A period of transition

King Gustav Vasa's efforts to reform the administration of the Kingdom of Sweden also affected Häme Castle. Once the residence of powerful nobles, the castle gradually became a strictly guarded crown fortress. Although its defensive capacity was somewhat improved by the construction of two powerful cannon towers, the castle nevertheless began a slow process of decline. Fraternal disputes between the dukes during the Vasa era, which reached their climax with the War of the Clubs, also affected Häme Castle, and the old south tower was destroyed in an explosion at the gunpowder depot in 1599. Major repairs were subsequently carried out, resulting in the Lutheran chapel on the third floor of the so-called Gate Tower. Gustav II Adolf and his wife, Queen Maria Eleonora, visited the castle in 1626. The King's Hall and Queen's Chamber were named in honor of this event. Governor General Per Brahe visited the castle in 1639, when he also founded the town of Hämeenlinna.

From granary to prison In the changed conditions following the Great Northern War between Sweden and Russia, the military importance of Häme Castle also momentarily increased. Efforts were made to repair the castle's defenses, and the former main fort was converted into a granary. A new Crown bakery, part of which has been converted into a tourist café, was also built for military use.

By order of King Gustav III, the town of Hämeenlinna was moved to its present site in the 1770s. Extensive construction work was also undertaken at this time to repair the old walls and ramparts to bring them into line with modern fortress design. Old 18th-century storage buildings were restored and brought back into use. The gate tower, originally a prison, now houses offices. The other buildings house modern exhibition halls and tourist facilities. Construction of the ramparts continued until the early 19th century, when Finland became part of the Russian Empire. The South Courtyard offers excellent opportunities for open-air festivities in summer. The ramparts and moat are a unique sight in Finland.

From prison to cultural monument

Prisoners had been kept in the castle since the Middle Ages, but in 1837 the main fort was converted exclusively into a prison according to plans by the famous architect C.L. Engel. Later, in the 19th century, the old 18th-century storage buildings were enlarged and new rooms were added for the prisoners. After much effort, restoration work began in 1956 and was completed in 1988.