Rakvere: From Ancient Wars to Modern Forensics
It is time to have some adventures!
Rakvere, a small town situated about 100 km east of Tallinn, is definitely not one of those “depressive small towns” of Estonia. It is youthful and vibrant and has a distinct character. Rakvere is associated with its castle hill and castle, theatre and international theatre festivals, LGTB+ film festival, many cafés, an auroch sculpture, and the Estonian Punk Song Festival.
Historically known as Wesenbergh or Wesenberg from the 13th century onwards and Tarvanpää or Tarvanpea (Auroch’s head) before that, the site has been settled for at least two thousand years. The local hill fort was replaced by a stone castle of the Danes, later the castle of the Livonian Order. Due to its strategic location, the castle endured many battles throughout the centuries, most notably during the Livonian Wars, and was eventually destroyed by Poles in 1605.
The picturesque castle that is partially in ruins will be where we start our exploration. We’re going to have a mediaeval adventure. From learning about the Livonian Order to the legends and to making the gunpowder, dabbling in archery, meeting the grim harbingers and passing through the chambers of torture and death, and the “hell”, and praying in the chapel, we’ll spend about 1.5 active hours in the past.
Having worked up our appetite with different activities, it will be time for lunch.
After lunch, we’ll take a long tour to see the sights of Rakvere and get to know this charming town better.
After our stroll, we should be ready for another adventure. We’ll head to the Police Museum. Over there, we’ll have a chance to assume the roles of cops or crooks, try to uncover the spies and spooks, become CSI experts and perform an autopsy and take fingerprints, join the special ops and take control of an emergency neutralising the bad guys. Remember that teamwork and communication are essential!
The day will start for us at 9 am and we’ll be back in Tallinn by 8 pm. Your guide for the event will be Kadi Pilt.
