Porvoo Hill Fort, Porvoo, Finland

There are two ancient hill forts in Porvoo, so-called small and big one. There is burial ground in a small hill from the Roman Iron Age (0-400 AD). The items found in excavations reveal that Porvoo river has been a remarkable trading centre already in prehistoric times and local people has had connections to Estonia and Latvia.

The bigger hill fort is one of the largest in Finland. It was used for defensive purposes already in the Viking Age (800-900 AD), but the fortifications date from the late 14th century. Today remains of double walls and dry moat are visible and restored.

References:

Porvoo.fi

User Reviews

Thomas Vermeulen (5 months ago)
There's no actual castle here anymore. It's a nature park where you can walk around the spots where the walls used to be. It offers a panoramic view on the river and Porvoo town. Relaxing vibe and well kept trails.

Lior Sion (2 years ago)
Super cool but small hill with some trails cross crossing it. Fun 20min session

Esa Hynynen (2 years ago)
Love the moats, exactly like it was in the 1200s!

Katarina Jurišić (3 years ago)
Amazing and fun! There are smaller and bigger hills suitable fir everyone from 2 years old to grown ups ?

Elena S (4 years ago)
Really nice place for a walk. There are some cute bridges and mostly trees. You have a beautiful view on the river. Other than that there’s not much more to see. So if you live nearby it’s worth a visit but other than that it’s not really exciting.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.

Porvoo Hill Fort

Address

Details

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus