Kiiu Castle, Medieval vassal castle in Kuusalu Rural Municipality, Estonia.
Kiiu Castle is a four-story defensive tower built with thick limestone walls and multiple gun ports in northern Estonia. A spiral staircase connects the different levels and allows visitors to explore the tower's interior structure.
Built around 1520 by lord Fabian von Tiesenhausen, the structure survived the military conflicts of the Livonian War. Following these conflicts, it was transformed from a fortress into an auxiliary building attached to a manor house.
The second floor displays preserved medieval living spaces with sleeping alcoves, fireplaces, and waste disposal systems that reveal how nobility lived in that era. These details help visitors understand daily life in the medieval period.
The tower stands in the northern region and is accessible from the outside, though the narrow interior stairs require care when climbing. Visitors should be prepared for low doorways and uneven floors typical of medieval structures.
The third floor houses a reconstructed wooden hoarding, making it the only castle in Estonia with this defensive feature restored. This gallery was essential on medieval fortifications, as it gave defenders a protected place from which to shoot.
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