Old Castle of Lieto ( fi, Liedon Vanhalinna) is a site of a

hillfort A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roma ...

Lieto Lieto (; sv, Lundo) is a a city and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southwest Finland region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The p ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

. It rises 55 meters above the sea level. 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

Late Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

(1100–500 BCE) and in Middle Iron Age (500–700 CE). The third phase of the site between years 1000-1370 can be divided into two. According to the excavations the years 1000–1150 are marked with

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

money and prehistoric artefacts and the years 1200–1370 with

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

bracteate A bracteate (from the Latin ''bractea'', a thin piece of metal) is a flat, thin, single-sided gold medal worn as jewelry that was produced in Northern Europe predominantly during the Migration Period of the Germanic Iron Age (including the Vende ...

s and medieval artefacts. The hillfort was used by the local

Finns proper Finns proper ( fi, Varsinaissuomalaiset, sv, Egentliga Finnar) are a historic people and a modern subgroup (heimo) of the Finnish people. They live in the areas of the historical province of Finland Proper (Varsinais-Suomi) and Satakunta, and t ...

population until 1170, when it was conquered most likely by the

Swedes Swedes ( sv, svenskar) are a North Germanic ethnic group native to the Nordic region, primarily their nation state of Sweden, who share a common ancestry, culture, history and language. They mostly inhabit Sweden and the other Nordic countr ...

who possibly used it as a stronghold against

Tavastians Tavastians ( fi, Hämäläiset, sv, Tavaster, russian: Емь, Yem, Yam) are a historic people and a modern subgroup (heimo) of the Finnish people. They live in areas of the historical province of Tavastia (historical province), Tavastia (Häme) ...

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 An outer bailey or outer ward is the defended outer enclosure of a castle.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 22. It protects the inner bailey and usually contains those ancillary bui ...

was in use in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. Total of 14

arrowhead An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, as well as to fulfill some special purposes such as sign ...

s and 150

crossbow bolt A bolt or quarrel is a dart-like projectile used by crossbows. The name "quarrel" is derived from the French word ''carré'', meaning square, referring to their typically square heads. Although their lengths vary, bolts are typically shorter an ...

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 The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...

and the latest to 1360s. The castle was located between two ancient transport routes: Aura river and

Hämeen härkätie Hämeen Härkätie (Oxen Road of Tavastia) is an ancient road in Finland, connecting Turku in Finland Proper to Hämeenlinna in Tavastia Proper. The 162 kilometers long road has been in use at the latest in the 9th century and in many parts it ha ...

leading to central Tavastia. Its importance decreased when the

Turku castle Turku Castle ( fi, Turun linna, sv, Åbo slott) is a medieval building in the city of Turku in Finland. Together with Turku Cathedral, the castle is one of the oldest buildings still in use and the largest surviving medieval building in Finland. ...

was finished in beginning of the 14th century. Hence the name Old Castle of Lieto.

Vanhalinna Museum

Liedon Vanhalinnan päärakennus luoteesta

The area is currently owned by the

University of Turku sv, Åbo universitet , latin_name = Universitas Aboensis , image_name = University of Turku.svg , motto = ''Vapaan kansan lahja vapaalle tieteelle'' , established = 1920 , type ...

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

External links

Homepage of the museum
(in Finnish)

(in Finnish) {{authority control Castles in Finland Lieto Buildings and structures in Southwest Finland Historic house museums in Finland University of Turku University museums in Finland History of Southwest Finland