Olavinlinna, Kyrön- ja Haapasalmen kulttuurimaisema

English translation (from the Finnish)

The text above is the record as published by the Finnish Heritage Agency (Museovirasto), in Finnish. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Finnish Heritage Agency (Museovirasto); it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Description

Kyrönsalmi is a nationally significant landscape area and one of our national landscapes, and its central element, the medieval Olavinlinna, is historically, landscape-wise and architecturally one of our most significant historical monuments.

Olavinlinna, built in 1475 on the island of the swift Kyrönsalmi between Pihlajavesi and Haapavesi, was constructed to guard Sweden's eastern border. The castle, with its round towers, was built in accordance with the new fortification system based on the use of firearms, and it is our country's first true bastion fortress. The castle has been restored since the end of the 19th century, and it is known worldwide for its high-quality opera festivals. Built of grey natural stone with round towers, the castle is mirrored in the black river and stands impressively against the forested backdrop.

The cultural landscape consists of the shore landscapes of the Kyrönsalmi strait, which flows along the eastern side of the central islands of Savonlinna, of Olavinlinna on its island in the swift river, of the Riihisaari riverside park with its former crown storehouses, of the Tallisaari park zone and of Komendantinpuisto, which connect Olavinlinna with the old wooden-house area at the eastern end of Linnankatu. In addition to the built landscape, significant parts of the landscape are the natural Mallatsaari, Kyrönniemi and Venäjänniemi east of the castle, and the southern Kaupinsaari and Uuraansari, which form a wilderness backdrop for the medieval castle.

Some ten wooden town houses from the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century have survived along Linnankatu. The Kyrönsalmi cultural landscape continues as a shoreline zone to the harbour and market square of the town, whose landscape backdrop is the Haapasalmi cultural landscape. This is formed by the harbour and market square as well as, along the waterway, the churches park, church, bridge, residential buildings and schools, mainly dating from the 19th century.

The Kyrönsalmi bridge is also part of the castle's landscape. Its significance rests on its variety, its technical solutions and its history. The bridge consists of four different sections, the most significant of which is a lattice bridge with a span of 125 metres.

History

Construction of Olavinlinna was begun in 1475 under Eerik Akselinpoika Tott, governor of Viipuri and the whole of Itämaa, on the island of Kyrönsaari, which lies in the strait between Pihlajavesi and Haapavesi. The castle was part of the defence system on Sweden's eastern border, and it was intended to strengthen Swedish power in the border region. (see Orivirran saarto)

During the first building phase, which lasted into the 1490s, the three towers placed on the western part of the island and the main castle formed by the curtain walls between them were completed, together with the outer castle to the east, which had two towers. The living and service quarters of the medieval castle were placed in the wing building inside the curtain walls. The development of firearms is seen especially in the round gun towers of the castle, the rondelles, which were also used for living at times.

In the Vasa period, in the middle of the 16th century, the castle was renovated by raising and roofing its towers, by strengthening and raising the walls of the outer castle, and by building the so-called Paksu tower at the south-eastern corner of the outer castle.

In the 17th century, a new gun tower, the so-called Kijli Tower, was built at the north-eastern corner of the castle, and the walls of the outer castle were strengthened and raised. As a further reinforcement, the so-called new outer castle was built in front of the main gate on the western side of the castle.

The castle remained on the Russian side under the Treaty of Turku in 1743. Considerable reconstruction work carried out by the Russians belongs to this period. In the 1750s, the Vesiportti and Pikkuportti bastions were built on the southern side of the castle. In the fortification works that continued at the end of the century, the outer castle was rebuilt on the site of the Paksu tower as the three-storey Paksu bastion, and the bastions built earlier were fitted with vaulted casemates. The towers of the castle were raised and given an open defensive level of brick.

The operation of Olavinlinna as a fortress ended in the 1840s, and it passed to civil authorities, who planned to use the castle as a prison or a provincial archive, among other things. These plans were not realised, and by decision of the Senate the castle was restored and maintained as an ancient monument. Restoration work was carried out at the castle in 1912–1916. The castle's most recent extensive restoration was carried out in 1961–1975, after which the castle has been presented to the public as a historical attraction.

The natural landscape of Kyrönsalmi was transformed into a cultural landscape in the Middle Ages with the construction of Olavinlinna. The town of Savonlinna was founded in 1639, and gradually a town with varied buildings grew up in the vicinity of the castle, and with it the traffic arrangements that affect the landscape of the strait. The state grain storehouse on Riihisaari was designed by the head of the Intendent's Office, architect Ernst Lohrmann, and was built in 1851–52. The building was converted into the Etelä-Savon maakuntamuseo in 1984. The alignment of Linnankatu has been preserved in its 17th-century form.

The cultural landscape of Haapasalmi includes the harbour, the market squares, the parks, and the building stock bordering them. The passenger harbour for the Savonlinna steamships was placed at Huvilahti in the 1860s, on the site of a private jetty. The market area next to it developed into a market square as a result of the harbour. On the opposite shore, at Tottintori, it is recorded that horse trading took place in the 19th century. The market square is bordered by residential and school buildings dating from the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century. The cathedral was completed in 1874 to designs by architect A. Dahlström. The church was damaged in bombing during the Winter War and was restored to its original form in 1948.

The railway from Savonlinna to Elisenvaara was built in 1904–1908. Building the railway into the town of Savonlinna, which is broken up by waterways, was a demanding task. The Kyrönsalmi bridge consists of four separate spans. Changes were made to the bridge in 1968.