Kajaani Castle settled
1604 CE.
Shown on the map at 64.229°, 27.733°.
The Kajaani Castle (Finnish: Kajaanin linna, Swedish: Kajaneborg, Kajaneborgs slott, older spelling Cajanaborg) is a ruined fortress built of granite in Kajaani. The castle was built in the early 17th century on an islet in the river Kajaaninjoki, between the Ämmäkoski and Koivukoski rapids in Kainuu, present-day Finland. It was the last medieval-style stone castle constructed in Sweden. The castle was built at a strategically valuable site to protect the region of Kainuu which had been ceded to Sweden in the Treaty of Teusina in 1595. Construction was started by king Charles IX of Sweden in 1604. Construction progressed slowly, and king Gustav II Adolf ordered its interruption in 1619. The incomplete castle was first used as a prison. The castle experienced its peak during the tenure of Count Per Brahe the Younger from 1650s to 1670s. The town of Kajaani was founded in 1651 next to the castle, and plans were made to transform the castle into a noble residence. However, in 1681, the fief was abolished during the Great Reduction, and the castle reverted to serving as a simple administrative center for Sweden's northernmost territories.
Text from the Wikipedia article Kajaani Castle, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.