Olavinlinna Fortress

Construction of the Olavinlinna Fortress began in 1475 to protect the strategically important territory of the Savo region. The founder of the fortress is the Danish knight Eric Axelsson Tott. The fortress was built to strengthen the troubled border between Russia and Finland, then part of Sweden. The task of the fortress was to repel the attacks of the Novgorodians and ensure the security of the border areas of a strategically important region belonging to the Swedes.

Fortress "Olavinlinna" many times was the property of the Russians, then the Swedes. Both sides contributed to the construction. In the XVIII century, the commandant of the fortress was the Russian commander A. Suvorov, he also led the reconstruction work.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the fortress was used as a concert venue – the first concert took place in 1912. In 1965, the tradition of holding opera festivals in Savonlinna revived, and now they are held every summer. On the stage of the medieval fortress there are voices of artists from all over the world. It is the largest cultural event in Finland, attracting many visitors to the country.

The fortress "Olavinlinna" is the main attraction of the city of Savonlinna. Its doors are open to visitors all year round.