Paide Order Castle

The Livonian Order built a castle at Paide from 1265 on a low hill of limestone at the geographic centre of Estonia, and its keep was unusual in being octagonal, known as the Vallitorn or long Hermann. The castle was destroyed in the Great Northern War and the tower demolished in the nineteenth century; what stands now is a reconstruction completed in 1993 on the old foundations, housing the Jarva museum and a presentation called the time centre, which takes visitors through Estonian history in themed rooms with actors and effects rather than display cases. The hill around it is a park with the remains of the castle walls and a view over the small town.

What you actually see

• The octagonal tower - the reconstructed Vallitorn on the castle hill.
• The time centre - the themed historical presentation inside.
• Castle wall remains - the surviving fragments around the hill.
• The town view - the outlook over Paide from the top.

When to go

May to September when the presentation runs fullest; winter hours are reduced. The Arvamusfestival, a large public debate festival, fills the town in August. Book the time centre in advance in summer.

Honest expectations

The tower is a 1990s reconstruction rather than a medieval structure. The time centre is a themed experience with actors, not a conventional museum, and much of it is in Estonian. Opening hours are seasonal.

Nearby

Poltsamaa lies southeast; Tallinn is northwest.