Medieval castle · Saare County · Maasi
Maasilinn Soneburg
After the islanders destroyed the Order castle at Pöide in the 1343 uprising, Maasilinn became the new seat of the Order’s bailiff on Saaremaa. At its heart stood a three-story main building 47 meters long with walls up to 3 meters thick, ringed by a curtain wall with half-round cannon towers. It changed hands several times in the Livonian War, and in 1576 King Frederick II of Denmark had it blown up.
Built / first recorded 1300s–1500s
Style Gothic Order castle
Condition Lost 1576
German name Soneburg Today
Excavated and restored since 2001, the ruins host performances and events.
Owners
Good to know The main building measures 46.9 by 12.2 m, with walls 2.1–3 m thick. Its older part held a hooded fireplace and a hypocaust heating stove. The Silurian Maasi rock beds are named after the castle. Photos through time archive · The Maasilinn castle ruinsarchive · Maasilinn: a pillararchive · Maasilinnarchive · The west end of the main building from the southarchive · The ruins from the southarchive · The seaward side of the main buildingarchive · The south side during excavationsarchive · The southeast corner of the outer wall2007 · Maasi castle, 20072012 · Maasilinn, 20122012 · The castle’s ground floor, 2012Nearby
The buildings are stylized impressions, not surveyed models. Facts: mois.ee, Museum of Estonian Architecture, ERR, Wikipedia. Photos: MuIS and Wikimedia Commons, credited with each photo.
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