Old Castle of Lieto
60°29′11″N 22°22′38″E / 60.48639°N 22.37722°E
Old Castle of Lieto (Finnish: Liedon Vanhalinna) is a site of a hillfort in Lieto, Finland. It rises 55 meters above the sea level.[1]
The original name of the castle is not known. According to excavations, the castle has been in use three times during its history, in the
The steep hillside supported by fortifications on top of the hill provided a good defensive position. Constructions on the hillfort were mostly made of wood. In the latest phase bricks were used as well. Remains of 11 buildings have been found from the top of the hillfort. Earliest defensive structures have been dated to 500 BCE and an outer bailey was in use in the Middle Ages. Total of 14 arrowheads and 150 crossbow bolt heads have been found from the area as well as several spear heads which the oldest has been dated to 6th century. Also several traces of fire have been found from the hillfort. Earliest traces of fire have been dated to Migration Period and the latest to 1360s.[1]
The castle was located between two ancient transport routes:
Vanhalinna Museum
The area is currently owned by the University of Turku which received it as a donation in the 1950s by the previous owners, Mauno and Ester Wanhalinna (the last name Wanhalinna is old Finnish spelling for "old castle") who had decorated the place as a manor home. In accordance to the donation charter, Vanhalinna also houses a museum with archaeological finds on display on eras of Varsinais-Suomi, starting from Stone Ages. Folk cultural department shows agrarian tools and life.
References
- ^ a b c Luoto, Jukka (1984). Liedon vanhalinnan mäkilinna. Helsinki: Suomen muinaismuistoyhdistyksen aikakausikirja 87.
- ISBN 951-0-08809-9.
External links
- Homepage of the museum (in Finnish)
- Archaeology site (in Finnish)