Description of the attraction
Vao Castle Tower is a tower in Estonia that belongs to the Donjon style castles. Presumably it was built in the second half of the 14th century. Castles of this type were not uncommon on the territory of Livonia at that time. They were built in places where serious security was not required. It is believed that the Wao Castle Tower was built to guard land and waterways and as an outpost in the event of peasant revolts. After the uprising of St. George's Night in 1343, the feudal lords paid great attention to the construction of such towers. Only 2 such castles have survived to our times - Vao and Kiyu.
The Vao Tower is quadrangular, built from local limestone. Judging by the thickness of the walls, the castle was not intended for serious military operations. The banya castle is located on the edge of the former manor park, next to the river, which is the source of the Põltsamaa river. If we count the basements, then the tower has four floors. The basements are vaulted.
There used to be a storage room on the ground floor in the basement where ammunition was stored. The second floor was executive, the third contained living quarters, and the fourth was for defensive purposes. In addition to the warehouses, the basement contained a toilet, a bathing room, a chapel and a fireplace, indicating that this tower was the permanent residence of a vassal.
From 1744 the tower became the property of the Edler von Rennenkampf family. They were the owners of Vao Castle until 1939.
In 1986, the castle tower was restored by the Vao collective farm. 1991 to 1997 a museum operated in the castle on the private initiative of Janis Tobreluts. In 1998, a new exhibition was organized in the castle in cooperation with the Väike Maarja Museum. In the tower museum you can learn about the history of the castle, the estate itself, as well as the villages located next to the estate. In addition, in the tower you can look at the photographs of the restoration process of the castle, the coats of arms of the families that lived in Vao. In addition to the above, the museum contains a lot of information about the Rennenkampf family, the last East German Germans who lived on the estate, to whom the exhibition on the ground floor is dedicated.
The interior of the castle is made in the medieval spirit; in the center of the room there is a table with chairs upholstered in boar skin. Metal lamps decorated with stained-glass windows on the walls and ceiling date the original cruciform illumination. On the top floor, you can see a painting depicting people in medieval costumes.
There is a legend that says that an underground passage leads from Vao to Kiltsi, the length of which is about 3 km. The course itself was not found, however, in the 20th century, long depressions leading from north to south were allegedly found on the landowner's field, which were covered with earth.
