A Round World

I haven’t managed to restore the Catalonia posting - don’t worry - there will be a day when I will do it… But now, here are some pictures that I took during my vacation in Kuressaare - a town where I was born in and where my parents still live. Kuressaare, a town of 16000 is the capital (read: the only town) on Saaremaa, the biggest island of Estonia. The island is just a bit bigger than the entire Luxembourg state - and I’m proud about that :D
One of the main sightseeings on Saaremaa is definitely the castle. Kuressaare’s official web-site describes it like that:
KURESSAARE EPISCOPAL CASTLE (Lossihoov 1) – The most noteworthy site in Kuressaare is the Episcopal Castle, dating from the 13th Century, the only Medieval fortress left in the Baltics. The towers, Sturvolt and Tall Hermann, were not begun until 1338. The castle was built of local dolomite marble and was surrounded by a rectangular outwork, a moat and a rampart. A town grew up around the Bishop’s Castle and in 1563, it was granted the status of an independent city. Prior to that, in 1559, the last bishop had sold the castle and the town to Denmark. In 1836, the fortress was eliminated from the list of Russian fortifications, and in subsequent years, it was used for various purposes and now houses the Saaremaa Museum of History and Nature. The castle is also a venue for cultural events: concerts are held in the Chapter House which has excellent acoustics, in the summer, a café is available on top of the tower, which offers a breathtaking view of the surroundings, the sea, the island of Abruka and other islets.
The castle has always been a special place for me - I visit the castle at least once a year. It’s like a ritual. And here are some pictures of the castle that I took this summer: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
As the castle hosts a museum right now, one of the surrounding buildings is a museum office. This probably 19. century building has some quite robust pillars on its front side. Since I was a small kid, this house has always created me an Indiana-Jones-like mood. 13, 14, 15. Especially when I recall one local news about a drunk guy who got stuck in the house’s chimney :D
Here’s one picture of a present Arensburg hotel that just some years ago was still a courthouse. Arensburg, by the way, was one of the town’s former names. Just across the hotel, there is a Russian orthodox church. Right at the centre of town is one of the commercial streets with small shops and two hairdressers. Here’s a picture of former nighthood building and the town hall. By the town hall, there’s also the former firebrigade house.
And here’s one special photo - I took it at my sister’s place. Matilda is just couple of months old :D

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 24th, 2005 at 11:58 pm and is filed under Kodus - Sweet home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.