Hame Castle

Hame castle was begun in the thirteenth century on the shore of Lake Vanajavesi as one of the strongholds through which Sweden held this territory, built in grey stone and then heavily rebuilt in red brick, which gives it a colour unusual among Finnish castles. It was a fortress, then an administrative centre, then from the nineteenth century a prison, and the prison buildings around it are part of the site. Restoration in the twentieth century opened it as a museum, with vaulted halls, a chapel, bare brick chambers and exhibitions on the castle's history. The prison museum next door covers the other part of the story, and the lakeside park runs along the shore.

What you actually see

• Red brick medieval walls - the rebuilt fortress on the lake shore.
• Vaulted halls and chambers - the restored interiors.
• The prison buildings - the nineteenth-century use of the site.
• The lakeside park - the shore walk beside the castle.

When to go

Year round. Two hours. Closed on some Mondays and over midwinter. Combine with Aulanko park on the same trip.

Honest expectations

Restoration was extensive and much of what is seen is twentieth-century work. Interiors are bare. The prison museum has separate opening hours. It is small compared with castles elsewhere in Europe.

Nearby

Aulanko is north; Helsinki lies south.