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Vao is a village in
Vao (german: Wack) castle is a well-preserved medieval tower fortress. It was built in the later half of the 14th century as a so-called "vassal castle", i.e. a smaller fortress built to keep control in areas where large strongholds were not needed. Other notable examples of such castles in Estonia are Purtse and Kiiu castles.
In 1442, the castle belonged to the family Wack. Subsequently it has belonged to various aristocratic families. In the 1770s the tower was certainly no longer used a manor, since at this time a new baroque manor house was built in the vicinity. In 1986, the castle was renovated. During the renovation new painted glass windows made by Estonian artists Tuuli Puhvel and Anne Ehasalu were also added. There is no indication that the tower was ever involved in any military action.
The castle was not designed for any major military operations, which can be deduced from the thickness of the walls. It was built of local limestone, to a height of four storeys. The cellar was used for storage, the ground floor was used as an office for the feudal lord, the second floor was the Lord's living quarters and the top floor had a purely defensive function. The living quarters were well equipped with a latrine, a chapel, a bed alcove and a fireplace.
Vao castle
at Estonian Manors Portal
Vao stronghold tower-museum
at Väike-Maarja Municipality Villages in Lääne-Viru County Castles in Estonia {{LääneViru-geo-stub
Väike-Maarja Parish
Väike-Maarja Parish ( et, Väike-Maarja vald) is a rural municipality of Estonia, in Lääne-Viru County. It has a population of 5,421 (as of 1 January 2009) and an area of 457.39 km².
Settlements
;Small boroughs
Kiltsi, Rakke, Simuna, ...
, Lääne-Viru County
Lääne-Viru County ( et, Lääne-Viru maakond or ''Lääne-Virumaa'') is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is in northern Estonia, on the south coast of the Gulf of Finland. In Estonian, ''lääne'' means western and ''ida'' means east or easter ...
, in northeastern Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...
.
Since 2014, Vao is the location of Vao Accommodation Centre, an accommodation centre for asylum seekers. Since the European migrant crisis has gained wide media attention in Estonia, Vao Centre has become the site of demonstrations against refugees. On 3 September 2015, the external wall of the center was set to fire. No one was hurt in the incident.
Vao Castle
Vao (german: Wack) castle is a well-preserved medieval tower fortress. It was built in the later half of the 14th century as a so-called "vassal castle", i.e. a smaller fortress built to keep control in areas where large strongholds were not needed. Other notable examples of such castles in Estonia are Purtse and Kiiu castles.
In 1442, the castle belonged to the family Wack. Subsequently it has belonged to various aristocratic families. In the 1770s the tower was certainly no longer used a manor, since at this time a new baroque manor house was built in the vicinity. In 1986, the castle was renovated. During the renovation new painted glass windows made by Estonian artists Tuuli Puhvel and Anne Ehasalu were also added. There is no indication that the tower was ever involved in any military action.
The castle was not designed for any major military operations, which can be deduced from the thickness of the walls. It was built of local limestone, to a height of four storeys. The cellar was used for storage, the ground floor was used as an office for the feudal lord, the second floor was the Lord's living quarters and the top floor had a purely defensive function. The living quarters were well equipped with a latrine, a chapel, a bed alcove and a fireplace.
See also
*History of Estonia
The history of Estonia forms a part of the history of Europe. Humans settled in the region of Estonia near the end of the last glacial era, beginning from around 8500 BC.
Ancient Estonia: pre-history
Mesolithic Period
The region has been ...
*List of castles in Estonia
This is a list of castles in Estonia. This list does not include palaces and manor houses, which are listed in a separate article.
Castles of the Teutonic Order
Castles of the Bishopric of Dorpat
Castles of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek
...
References
External links
Vao castle
at Estonian Manors Portal
Vao stronghold tower-museum
at Väike-Maarja Municipality Villages in Lääne-Viru County Castles in Estonia {{LääneViru-geo-stub