Laiuse Order Fortress Ruins

Laiuse Order Fortress Ruins / Beskrivning

The ruins of Laiuse Order Castle are located on the side of the Jõgeva-Laiuse Highway. The fortress was started at the end of the 14th century by the Livonian Order to protect the eastern frontier. In the late Middle Ages Laiuse castle, the first fortification for defence with firearms in Estonia, was completed. The walls were built of boulders and bricks. In the middle of the 15th century the massive northern tower was completed. A moat and a drawbridge protected the courtyard. The castle was damaged in 1559 and repaired afterwards to accommodate the Swedish free-lance soldiers. At the end of the Swedish rule a showy wooden house was built, the residence of Charles XII and his escort in the winter of 1700-1701. His army was accommodated in the surrounding villages.