Finnish children's castle book

Raili Mikkanen 2011: Suomen lasten linnakirja
kuvitus: Laura Valojärvi

This book gives information about the different castle types: hill fort, fortress, castle and manor castle. The reader gets to see the life in the castle, its history, rulers and inhabitants. The different periods of the castles, the every day life and the festivities as well the wars become very familiar through the stories in the book.

Every castle has short story to illustrate even more the life in the Castle. In Raasepori the story is a real ghost story, the Caslte of Turku burns. A carefully guarded prisoner escapes from Olavinlinna through a shooting hole using a rope or the reader can admire the Polish princess Isabella.

The ghost at the castle of Raasepori

Raili Mikkanen points out that the Finnish castles differ from the castles of Central Europe. The Finnish castles were built as a defense rather than living quarters. Laura Valosaari’s illustrations are nice and dramatic, you’d wish there were more pictures.

Locations of the places in the book

The nine castles in this book are:

Turku Castle

Raasepori Castle

Kastelholma Castle

Castle of Häme

Castle of St. Olaf

Louhisaari Manor

Suomenlinna fortress

Lappeenranta fortress

Svartholma sea fortress