The Emajõe-Suursoo Centre is located at the beginning of the nature trail to the right. It offers conference-possibility and a beautiful view on the Mother river. All vehicle traffic on the trail is prohibited! There is a parking lot for 20 cars. Vehicles should be left in the parking lot located before the gates. If necessary, parking near the Emajõe Nature Center building can be arranged by calling +372 662 5999.

Currently, the Emajõe Suursoo Nature Reserve Center is located at this historically rich site. The castle, once owned by the Bishop of Tartu, and the customs point on the Emajõgi River replaced the previously established Old-Kastre Castle. The castle was likely built around 1342. The oldest part of the fortress was probably a four-sided tower castle, which later remained as a flanking part of the fortress on the southwest side, protecting the gate located on the western side.

It is assumed that by the 15th century, the castle had been expanded. Likely in the first half of the 16th century, a round artillery tower with gun chambers on the lower floor was built in the corner of the castle’s small courtyard. To the west of the main castle, there was a suburb surrounded by a moat and fenced with a palisade. The castle was captured by the Russians at the beginning of the Livonian War in 1558, restored in the first half of the 17th century, and again captured in 1656. In the second half of the 17th century, the fortifications were strengthened, and during the Great Northern War, the castle played an important role in defending Tartu. At the end of the 17th century, the Swedes planned to reconstruct the castle (E. Dahlberg’s project, 1699), but the plan was never realized due to the outbreak of the Great Northern War.

Near the New-Kastre Castle, a battle took place during the Great Northern War in 1704, during which the Swedish fleet operating on the Emajõgi River and Lake Peipus was destroyed (a total of 13 ships with 98 cannons). The Russian army opened fire on the fleet from both sides of the river. Some of the crew surrendered, but the fleet commander, Löschert, blew up himself and the flagship “Carolus” and died along with it. Local residents could still recently point to the spot where the Swedish warship rested on the bottom of the river. The castle was destroyed by the Russians in 1704.

Today, the castle is completely destroyed, and during low water levels, fragments of the fortress can be seen along the riverbank. Remains of the fortifications are recalled by the moats, riverbanks, and submerged bridge posts, log rafts, and parts of the walls buried under the soil.

In the 18th century, the site of the castle was replaced by Estonia’s allegedly only river tavern, named after the New-Kastre Castle (Kantsi). When the tavern was built in 1784, the ruins of the old castle were used. The tavern operated here for a long time, surviving even World War II. After that, the building was abandoned and began to deteriorate.

Archaeological excavations between 2001 and 2003 revealed interesting finds. In addition to the bones of two men buried near the tavern, whose skulls showed strong signs of blunt force trauma, Russian-origin copper coins, fragments of dishes, stove pots, and other items were found. These finds are displayed for visitors in the nature center’s foyer under a glass floor.

Description:

A ramp that leads inside is made of wider cobblestone and paved with concrete. The toilet inside the building is quite narrow (which you can see on the photos) and has a regular locking handle. Access to the second floor, where there is a photo exhibition, is not wheelchair-adapted.