Country

Castles in Estonia

36 landmarks in the Castle Map atlas — every one mapped with a photo and its story, 34 with sourced founding dates, ranked by Wikipedia coverage and real readership.

The most famous castle in Estonia is Kadriorg Palace, ranked #329 of 9,079 in the world — followed by Toompea Castle and Kuressaare Castle.

The Castle Map atlas charts 10 castles, 4 fortresses, 7 palaces & châteaux and 15 ruins in Estonia. They span more than 9 centuries — from Varbola Stronghold (founded c. 950) to Presidential Palace (Tallinn) (1938). Every one is plotted with its photo and story on the interactive castle map of Estonia.

How many castles are there in Estonia?

Map of castles in Estonia

On the map they cluster thickest around Tallinn — 19 within a 100 km day trip. The northernmost is Toolse Castle, the southernmost Vastseliina Castle — about 207 km apart.

Planning a visit? Day-trip guides: Castles near Tallinn.

See them on the map →

When they were built

Of the 36 landmarks mapped in Estonia, 34 carry a sourced founding date. Most were founded in the 13th century — 10 of them. 24 predate 1500 and 8 were built after 1700.

All 36 castles in Estonia

Kadriorg Palace
Palace & château · 18th century · #329 worldwide · #1 in Estonia
Kadriorg Palace is an 18th-century Petrine Baroque palace in Kadriorg, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.
Toompea Castle
Castle · 13th century · #2 in Estonia
Toompea castle is a medieval castle on Toompea hill in the central part of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.
Kuressaare Castle
Castle · 14th century · #3 in Estonia
Kuressaare Castle, also Kuressaare Episcopal Castle, is a castle in Kuressaare on Saaremaa island, in western Estonia.
Fat Margaret
Fortress · 16th century · #4 in Estonia
Fat Margaret is a tower in Tallinn, Estonia. Nowadays, the tower is home to Estonian Maritime Museum.
Hermann Castle
Castle · 13th century · #5 in Estonia
Hermann Castle, also known as the Narva castle or Narva fortress, is a medieval castle in the city of Narva, in northeastern Estonia.
Kiek in de Kök
Castle · 15th century · #6 in Estonia
Kiek in de Kök is an artillery tower in Tallinn, Estonia, built in 1475. It gained the name Kiek in de Kök from the ability of tower occupants to see…
Pikk Hermann
Castle · 14th century · #7 in Estonia
Pikk Hermann is a tower of the Toompea Castle, on Toompea hill in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The first part of the tower was built in 1360–1370.
Haapsalu Castle
Ruin · 13th century · #8 in Estonia
Haapsalu Castle is a castle with cathedral in Haapsalu, Estonia, founded in the thirteenth century as the seat of the Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek.
Walls of Tallinn
Fortress · 13th century · #9 in Estonia
The Walls of Tallinn are the medieval defensive walls constructed around the city of Tallinn in Estonia.
Viljandi Castle
Ruin · 13th century · #10 in Estonia
Viljandi Castle is 13th Century castle in a Viljandi, Estonia. It was built by the Livonian Order, and construction started in 1224 in place of a…
Alatskivi Castle
Palace & château · 19th century · #11 in Estonia
Alatskivi Castle is a neo-Gothic castle in Alatskivi, Estonia. Dating to the 17th century, it is situated in Peipsiääre Parish, Tartu County.
Rakvere Castle
Ruin · 13th century · #12 in Estonia
Rakvere Castle is an important castle ruin within the town of Rakvere in the north of Estonia.
Glehn Castle
Palace & château · 19th century · #13 in Estonia
Glehn Castle is a castle on the hillside of Nõmme, part of Tallinn, Estonia. The manor was designed and established by Nikolai von Glehn on the…
Koluvere Castle
Castle · 13th century · #14 in Estonia
Koluvere Castle, also Koluvere Episcopal Castle,, is a castle in Koluvere, Lääne County, in western Estonia.
Vastseliina Castle
Ruin · 14th century · #15 in Estonia
Vastseliina Castle was a castle of the Livonian Order, Bishopric of Dorpat. It was constructed by 1342 by the Landmeister Burkhard von Dreileben as…
Maarjamäe Palace
Palace & château · 19th century · #16 in Estonia
Maarjamäe Palace is a building in Maarjamäe, Tallinn. The palace is located at the site of the earlier Maarjamäe summer manor, which is its main…
Põltsamaa Castle
Ruin · 13th century · #17 in Estonia
Põltsamaa Castle, also Põltsamaa Order Castle,, is a castle in Põltsamaa, Jõgeva County, in eastern Estonia.
Presidential Palace (Tallinn)
Palace & château · 20th century · #18 in Estonia
The Residence of the President of Estonia, known officially as the Kadriorg Administrative Building, and since 1992 sometimes colloquially as the…
Laiuse Castle
Ruin · 14th century · #19 in Estonia
Laiuse Castle was a Livonian Order castle in Laiusevälja, Jõgeva Parish, Estonia. The castle is now in ruins.
Varbola Stronghold
Ruin · 10th century · #20 in Estonia
The Varbola Stronghold was the largest circular rampart fortress and trading centre built in Estonia, in Harju County in the 10th – 12th centuries.
Toolse Castle
Ruin · 15th century · #21 in Estonia
Toolse Castle is the northernmost and most recent of the Livonian castles of present-day Estonia. It lies near the town of Kunda in western Viru.
Maasilinna Castle
Ruin · 14th century · #22 in Estonia
Maasilinn Castle is located in the village of Maasi in Orissaare Parish, Saare County, Estonia.
Taagepera Castle
Palace & château · 20th century · #23 in Estonia
Taagepera Castle is a mansion in Taagepera village, Helme Parish, Valga County, Estonia.
Paide Castle
Castle · 13th century · #24 in Estonia
Paide Castle was a castle built by the Livonian Order in Paide, in the Estonian county of Järvamaa.
Red Tower (Pärnu)
Fortress · 15th century · #25 in Estonia
Red Tower is a tower in Pärnu, Estonia. The tower is only building of medieval New-Pärnu Fortress, which is preserved until today.
Patarei Sea Fortress
Fortress · 19th century · #26 in Estonia
Patarei Sea Fortress is a coastal battery, part of the seaside fortifications of Tallinn raised in the 19th century, and subsequently, in the years…
Purtse Castle
Castle · 16th century · #27 in Estonia
Purtse Castle is a castle of a local Purtse knight manor in Purtse, northeastern Estonia.
Karksi Castle
Ruin · 13th century · #28 in Estonia
Karksi Castle was an order castle of the Livonian Order. The ruins of the castle are located in Karksi, Estonia.
Sangaste Castle
Palace & château · 19th century · #29 in Estonia
Sangaste Castle is a castle in Sangaste, Otepää Parish, Valga County. The castle was built in 1879 to 1881 and designed by the architect Otto Pius…
Kirumpää Castle
Ruin · 14th century · #30 in Estonia
Kirumpää Castle is a bishop's castle of about the 14th–15th century in the village of Kirumpää near Võru in Estonia, preserved in a ruined state.
Lihula Castle
Ruin · #31 in Estonia
Leal Castle, at present called Lihula Castle, was an episcopal castle of the Bishopric of Ösel–Wiek, the ruins of which are in the town of Lihula,…
Vao Castle
Castle · #32 in Estonia
Vao Castle is a medieval residential tower in Vao, Estonia, in Lääne-Viru County.
Valjala Stronghold
Ruin · 12th century · #33 in Estonia
The Valjala Stronghold was a major ringfort on the island of Saaremaa in Estonia.
Porkuni Castle
Castle · 15th century · #34 in Estonia
Porkuni Castle – a fortified structure in the settlement of Porkuni, in the municipality of Tamsalu in Estonia, today preserved in the form of…
Tarvastu Castle
Ruin · 14th century · #35 in Estonia
Tarvastu Castle is a 14th-century castle in Sooviku in Viljandi Parish, Viljandi County, Estonia.
Kavilda stronghold
Ruin · 14th century · #36 in Estonia
Kavilda stronghold was a castle in Tartu County, Estonia, on the western slope of the Kavilda River.

Frequently asked questions

How many castles are in Estonia?

The Castle Map atlas maps 36 landmarks (10 castles · 4 fortresses · 7 palaces & châteaux · 15 ruins) in Estonia — a curated selection of well-documented landmarks from Wikidata, not a count of every fortification ever built.

What is the most famous castle in Estonia?

Kadriorg Palace, ranked #329 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's fame ranking, founded in the 18th century.

What is the oldest castle in Estonia?

The oldest dated landmark in the atlas in Estonia is Varbola Stronghold, founded c. 950. Earlier structures may have existed — this is the oldest with a documented founding year.

Where are most of the castles in Estonia?

They cluster thickest around Tallinn — 19 of the atlas's landmarks within 100 km.