Welcome to Iso Linnamäki or Big Castle Hill, located in Porvoo, Finland.
It is the site of one of the largest ancient fortresses in Finland, … or has been.
Pine trees and bushes have taken the place of what used to be a huge medieval castle.
It was probably built in the late 1200s and abandoned before the Middle Ages came to an end.
The history of the castle remains a mystery.
Some researchers assume that Castle Hill was built by the Danes in the early 1100s and 1200s, while others link it to the campaigns of the Swedes in the 1230s and 1240s.
In 2009, researchers found an important comparison between Landskrona Castle and Castle Hill.
Built by the Swedes around 1300, the structure is almost identical.
It can be assumed that, in addition to Vyborg and Landskrona castles, Castle Hill was a base from which the Swedish conquests of the east were launched in the 13th century.
It is certain that Castle Hill, like many other castles, was completely abandoned by 1400 at the latest.
During the reign of Margaret I (1353 – 1412), Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (including Finland), many castles were demolished and/or abandoned.

Castle Hill consists mainly of Till and rises about 30 meters above sea level.
On top of Hill is an almost rectangular central platform, surrounded by 2 dry moats.
No traces of defenses have been found, so they were probably made of wood.
The central platform used to be the castle courtyard, containing 2 pits with a depth of 2 meters, they have been interpreted as the remains of storage cellars.
A kitchen building, castle cabin and a workshop were also located on the central platform.
The Castle Hill has undoubtedly changed since, for example, moats were deepened in the 20th century.
On the south side of the hill there used to be a bay called “Maari’s harbour”, which has been washed away.
In the 18th century, the people of Porvoo started extracting gravel from the hill, despite several bans by the city.
The sand extraction has damaged the north and south-western sides of the hill in particular.

Next to Castle Hill is a smaller hill which used to be an ancient burial site predating the castle by about a thousand years (0 – 400 AD).
16 deceased were buried in the cemetery, accompanied by numerous grave goods, e.g. bracelets, bronze ring, sickles, knife, axe, arrowheads.

Big Castle Hill has long been popular with tourists.
King Gustav III of Sweden visited the hill in the summer of 1789.
Public festivals and events were hosted on the hill in the late 19th century.
The Hill’s mysterious history, well-preserved walls and views from the top attracted both Porvoo residents and tourists from far away.

Land erosion from walking and cycling has become a concern in recent years.
The city of Porvoo has devised a plan to return the slopes to their former state.
In addition to stairs and a railing that guides the passage, installed on the ridge.
To prevent further wear, it is not advised to climb the slopes and cycling in the area is prohibited.

Thanks for watching, i hope it was an informative and relaxing walk on what used to be a busy battlefield.
~Sevy