Stone Age Ruin of Kastelli

Raahe, Finland

So-called Jätinkirkko (“the giant’s church”) of Kastelli is a rectangular stone rampart measuring 36 x 62 meters. It dates back to the Stone Age and is one of the most significant ancient structures in Finland. The fort was probably built between 2700-2200 B.C like most of the stone constructions in northern Botnia.

The structure is located at top of the hill. The rampart, which is two meters high in its present state, has six gateways. In the environs are more than twenty rock cairns, a representative group of ten trapping holes and a stone age dwelling site lower on the slope.

Kastelli represents the earliest monumental construction in Finland in a form which is rarely found in hunter-catherer cultures. National Board of Antiques has submitted Kastelli site to the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage Sites.

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Details

Founded: 2700-2200 B.C.
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Finland
Historical period: Neolithic Age (Finland)

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