Published in: Helsingin Sanomat, 28th of October, 2003

- OLAVINLINNA, THE PLACE OF MAGIC AND STORIES

- THE SWEDES BUILD THE TOWERS AND THE RUSSIANS BUILD THE BASTIONS

- BLACK RAM TURNED INTO THE DEVIL AND SAVED THE CASTLE FROM ATTACK

- When the summer is over, Olavinlinna is a quiet place. The structures for opera festival has been taken down and the castle courtyard looks a lot smaller than during the opera festivals, when there's over two thousand people watching the different operas. The tour guides however are there in the castle around the year. A guided tours will take place every hour when there's enough people to participate. Most participants for the guided tours during the autumn are groups of students, families, retired people and foreign tourists.

- The main tour guide has been working in the castle for the past twenty years. During the years, he has learned many different details and stories about the castle. Olavinlinna is a place for magic, mythology and myths. The guided tour starts from the older section of the castle, from the bedroom of Tott. The Danish knight who founded this castle, Erik Tott, lived in a circular room when they started to build the castle in 1475. Below the room, lies the old primary rock, that has an age of some 18 million years. When we move out from the bedroom, into the main hall, you stumble onto magic immediately. Near the doorway, lies the stone of wishes, that grants wishes for those, who touch the stone. The statue of St.Olavi dominates to main hall. Ville Valgren carved the statue in Paris during the year 1912. The other leg is a bit off from the base. The story is, that during one morning, St.Olavi ran to eat some ice cream and he didn't get on top of the base in time, before the guests arrived. So one of his legs was left a bit outside of the base, because he didn't have the time to drag it to it's own place.

- From the main hall, one can also look the ghost balcony, that is associated with the most well known story from the castle, about the girl who was bricked up into the castle wall. The story goes with a bit modified versions and according to the head tour guide, the girls name was Ingel. The daughter of the Swedish castle landlord fell in love for a handsome Russian officer and let the officer to come into the castle during one night. However, the devious man opened the gates for his troops, but the people in the castle were observant and surprised the intruders and their heads were cut off. For a punishment for his daughter, the Swedish castle landlord, ordered the girl to be bricked into the castle wall alive. To the spot where the girl was bricked into the wall, grew a rowan. It's berries symbolizing the blood in heart and it's white flowers being a symbol of innocence. According to the legend, during every full moon, around midnight, one can see the couple at the balcony.

- The most beautiful room in the castle is the King's hall with it's white slates and vaulted roof. A special hole was build from this floor to the next floor below. When they made food below, in the next floor, the fragrance and the heat would rise up to this floor and according to the head tour guide, the people ate very well in the castle. Swan roast was one of the main feasts and fish and different game animals belonged to every day meals. Bears were hunted regularly and during the weekdays, every man got five liters of beer. During the weekends, the amount was seven liters and on top of that, spirits were also served. Being a bit drunk, might get people killed in the castle, especially if you happened to end up to the knight's balcony. About twenty meter from the ground level and without fences, the place was dangerous, when being drunk. The balcony was an important part of the castle defense. From there the defenders would throw stones and pour hot pitch and tar on top of the attackers.

- Olavinlinna is one of the most well preserved castles in Europe and while being placed on an island, it was a masterpiece of strategy during it's time. It's circular shape does separate it from the rest of the castles in Finland. Through out the centuries, the castle has been build and the five circular towers were build by the Swedes, but two of them are now destroyed. The remaining towers are the bell tower, church tower and the Kihli's tower. The Russians for their part, build the bastions. While walking the cramped and steep stairways, one can get dizzy if you look down. The stairways are as steep as in the Great Wall of China. 

- While climbing the bell tower, you reach the maids room, where all of the girls who were not married, slept. The door was locked with a sturdy log, so that the girls could sleep in peace. The room contained the only locked closet in the castle and contained a pillow case, in case if the Queen would show up and sleep in the castle. The church tower contains a similar room for the married women in the castle. Below that room, is the chapel which is the oldest church in Savo. The most unique feature in this chapel is the small hole in the wall. The prisoners, sick or other people who were sentenced into shame, were allowed to watch the service through the small hatch in the wall.

- The most interesting bastion is the bastion of Suvorov, that was build in the 16th century. During the opera festivals, it's a dressing room for the performers and audience are not allowed to enter into it. During the autumn however, the head guide gives a tour to the lovely yard and the canal basin. Suvorov noticed that the castle didn't have a well of it's own and build a small canal basin so that the castle wouldn't lack water in case of a siege. The yard also contains the beheading stone, that according to a legend, has a blue blood, because nobles were also executed on the spot. The bastion of Suvorov also has a legend of a black ram. The castle had a ram as a mascot, the St.Ram and one time the enemy tried to sneak through the rocks and attack the castle with a surprise. However, the sky started to thunder and lightning's struck from the sky. The horned ram appeared on top of the castle wall and the enemy thought that the castle was held by the devil himself and retreated. The ram got it's own statue in Tallisaari.

INFORMATION CORNER

- The Governor of Vyborg, knight Erik the son of Akseli Tott founded the St.Olav's castle in 1475. It was build to protect the Savo area and was established to the stone scar in Kyrönsalmi.

- The different regimes are visible in the castle architecture. The Swedes and Russians have both governed the castle. 

- The castle had a garrison until the year 1847. After the military career for the castle was over, it was a prison for a short period of time until it was left empty.

- The castle had two devastating fires in the 1870's and after that it was repaired extensively and the government started to take care of it as a ancient monument.

- During the summer of 1912, Aino Ackté organized the first opera festivals that was a predecessor for the opera festival tradition that was started in 1967. 

- The castle was completely restored between the years 1961 to 1971. 

- About 70 000 people participate to the guided tours every year and when you add the people who come for the opera, ballet and other festivals, the castle is visited by some 160 000 to 170 000 people every year.

- Additionally the castle also rents space for other events.