Hakoinen Castle
Encyclopedia
Hakoinen Castle are the ruins of a fortification on a hill in Janakkala
, Finland
. Dated medieval, the fortification was situated on a very steep rock by lake Kernaala (Kernaalanjärvi) reminiscent of a hill fort
tradition. The top of the rock is 63 metres above the water level in the lake. Today very little remains of the castle. Equally little is known about its origins. One postulation is that it was built by the Swedes as their original stronghold in the medieval Häme
area.
The name of the castle is unhistorical and taken from the close Hakoinen mansion (Haga gård in Swedish). The original name is not known, but it may have been "Häme Castle" (Tavastehus in Swedish) which today is used about a later castle
in the nearby town of Hämeenlinna
. A source from 1625 calls Hakoinen as the "old Tauaste hus". "Tauestahus" Castle is first mentioned in sources in 1308.
The castle was probably built at the end of the 13th century or during the early 14th century. It has been speculated that Hakoinen might have been the fort that was attacked by invading Novgorodian forces in 1311 during the Swedish-Novgorodian Wars
, as described in the Novgorod Chronicle
:
Eventually Hakoinen was left out of use. Some activity seems to have remained there until 1380s. The castle rock was later a part of a large estate belonging to the bailiff
of Häme Castle.
According to excavations, the castle was divided into two parts. Lower defensive constructions were mostly made of wood. Constructions on the rock were made of bricks and rocks. The castle probably had one tower.
The site has only been excavated in the early 20th century.
Janakkala
Janakkala is a municipality of Finland. Its administrative centre is in Turenki, which is nowadays often erroneously shown on maps as being "Janakkala"....
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Dated medieval, the fortification was situated on a very steep rock by lake Kernaala (Kernaalanjärvi) reminiscent of a hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
tradition. The top of the rock is 63 metres above the water level in the lake. Today very little remains of the castle. Equally little is known about its origins. One postulation is that it was built by the Swedes as their original stronghold in the medieval Häme
Häme
Häme is the name of a geographical region in Finland. It is an ancient Finnish word, etymologically related to sápmi, the endonym of the Sami people...
area.
The name of the castle is unhistorical and taken from the close Hakoinen mansion (Haga gård in Swedish). The original name is not known, but it may have been "Häme Castle" (Tavastehus in Swedish) which today is used about a later castle
Häme castle
Häme Castle is a medieval castle in Hämeenlinna, Finland. The castle is located on the coast of lake Vanajavesi in the city center. The castle was originally located on an island....
in the nearby town of Hämeenlinna
Hämeenlinna
Hämeenlinna is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Häme in the south of Finland and is the birthplace of composer Jean Sibelius. Today, it belongs to the region of Tavastia Proper, and until 2010 it was the residence city for the Governor of the...
. A source from 1625 calls Hakoinen as the "old Tauaste hus". "Tauestahus" Castle is first mentioned in sources in 1308.
The castle was probably built at the end of the 13th century or during the early 14th century. It has been speculated that Hakoinen might have been the fort that was attacked by invading Novgorodian forces in 1311 during the Swedish-Novgorodian Wars
Swedish-Novgorodian Wars
Swedish–Novgorodian Wars were a series of conflicts in the 12th and 13th centuries between the Republic of Novgorod and medieval Sweden over control of the Gulf of Finland, an area vital to the Hanseatic League and part of the Varangian-Byzantine trade route...
, as described in the Novgorod Chronicle
Chronicle
Generally a chronicle is a historical account of facts and events ranged in chronological order, as in a time line. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and local events, the purpose being the recording of events that occurred, seen from the perspective of the...
:
- "The men of Novgorod went in war over sea to the country of the Germans (Swedes), against the Finnish (YemYEMYEM may refer to:* Yemen, the country in Southwest Asia* Manitowaning/Manitoulin East Municipal Airport, the IATA airport code* You Enjoy Myself, a song by the jam band Phish* Yamashita Engineering Manufacture Inc.* Yeast Extract Mannitol...
) people -- And the Germans fell back into the citadel. For the place was very strong and firm, on a high rock, not having access from any side. And they sent with greeting, asking for peace, but the men of Novgorod did not grant peace, and they stood three days and three nights wasting the district."
Eventually Hakoinen was left out of use. Some activity seems to have remained there until 1380s. The castle rock was later a part of a large estate belonging to the bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
of Häme Castle.
According to excavations, the castle was divided into two parts. Lower defensive constructions were mostly made of wood. Constructions on the rock were made of bricks and rocks. The castle probably had one tower.
The site has only been excavated in the early 20th century.
Further reading
- At Home Within Stone Walls: Life in the late medieval Häme Castle. Toim. Anna-Maria Vilkuna, Johanna Onnela, Terhi Mikkola, Päivi Luuppi, Markus Hiekkanen ja Knut Drake. Archaeologia Medii Aevi Finlandiae VII. (2003)
- Hämeen Linna - The castle of Häme. Toim. Pirjo Poutanen ja Katleena Kortesuo. (2000)
- Taavitsainen, Jussi-Pekka; Ancient hillforts of Finland: problems of analysis, chronology and interpretation with special reference to the hillfort of Kuhmoinen. (1990)
- Hämeen linna. Kirj. Sampo Ahto, Pertti Kilkki ja Rainer Knapas,Sotasokeat, (1973)
- Ailio, Julius; Hämeen linnan, esi- ja rakennushistoria (1917)
- Rinne, Juhani; Suomen keskiaikaiset mäkilinnat (1914)
- Heikel, A. O.; Muinaisjäännöksiä. Hauhon kihlakunta, Suomalaisen Tiedeseuran Bidrag-sarja 29.
- Janakkalan historia. Janakkalan kunta (1976). ISBN 951-99089-1-9.