Kuressaare Arensburg

In the late 1300s the bishops of Ösel-Wiek raised a stern, almost unadorned square convent castle of local dolomite, the best-preserved medieval castle on the eastern Baltic coast. In 1381 Bishop Heinrich III was found dead in its latrine shaft, probably strangled by his own canons. Later rulers wrapped it in bastions, so its medieval core survived like a time capsule.

Built / first recorded

late 1300s

Style

Late Gothic convent castle

Condition

Restored

County

Saare County · Kuressaare

German name

Arensburg

Owners

• Saare-Lääne piiskopkond1380–1559
• Taani kroon1559–1645
• Rootsi kroon1645–1710
• Vene impeerium1710–1917

Good to know

• A medieval hypocaust in the cellar blew warm air into the halls.
• Tall Hermann stood apart from the main building across a deep shaft.
• The Swedish bastions were turned into a town park from 1861.

Photos through time

Nearby