Laiuse Castle ruins

Left our goddaughter's home at noon to visit our friends in Palamuse. Before heading back to my mother-in-law's place for the night, they wanted to show us a couple of sights in the neighbouring villages.

Laiuse Castle (in the main blip) was built by the Livonian Order in the 14th century. The northernmost county of Poland-Lithuania was ruled from here 1582-1622. After that it belonged to Sweden until 1710, when all the Livonian and Estonian cities surrendered to Russia during the Great Northern War. In the beginning of the war, king Charles XII spent the winter 1700-1701 here. All that is left now of the once mighty castle are the ruins of the front wall, some parts of another tower and a section of another wall.

In the extras are Kuremaa Manor and its windmill. The history of the manor begins in the 16th century when it was separated from the lands of Laiuse Castle. The current manor house is partly from 1844, but its current shape is from the 1920's, when it became an agricultural school. It has been recently renovated and serves as a location for conferences, celebrations and concerts.