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Olavinlinna was founded in 1475 by Erik Axelsson Tott. The castle served to repel attacks from the east and to guarantee control of the Savo region for the Swedish Crown. The medieval castle consisted of a main castle with three towers and a bailey with an encircling wall reinforced by two more towers. The castle went through numerous phases of construction, first as a Swedish and from the 18th century as a Russian border fortification. Today Olavinlinna is a well-preserved tourist sight and a place of various occasions.
330 km from Helsinki
www.nba.fi/en/olavinlinna_castle
reached by train or car or less than an hour by air
Medieval stone castle
Opened to public 1975
Open daily year round for tourists
Guided tours in Finnish, Swedish, English and German
Houses every summer The Savonlinna Opera Festival
Festival halls by advance booking, and summer cafe and restaurant
