KuressaareSights

Museum sights in Kuressaare

  1. A

    Saaremaa Regional Museum

    Housed in the majestic Kuressaare Castle is the Saaremaa Regional Museum. On the ground floor look for the hüpokaust (hypocaust) on the southwestern side - a furnace that fuelled a medieval central heating system. According to legend, condemned prisoners were dispatched through a small room without a floor near the bishop's chamber, to be received by hungry lions.

    Legends also tell of the body of a knight found when a room previously sealed with bricks was uncovered in the 18th century. It is said that, upon discovery, the knight's body dissolved into dust, which has given rise to varying accounts of how the unfortunate captive met his tragic fate.

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  2. B

    Kuressaare Castle

    This is the best preserved castle in the Baltics and the only medieval stone castle in the region that has remained intact. The inside of the castle is a warren of chambers, halls, passages and stairways that will feed anyone's fantasies about Gothic fortresses. It also houses the intriguing Saaremaa Regional Museum.

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  3. C

    Aaviks Museum

    Aaviks Museum is dedicated to the life and works of linguist Johannes Aavik (1880-1973), who introduced major reforms to the Estonian language, and his musically talented cousin, Joosep Aavik (1899-1989).

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