The Castle of Kastelholm – Medieval archaeology and natural sciences in a joint project
Abstract
The castle of Kastelholm is Åland's only larger building with a medieval past if the churches are left out. lt is situated on the shore of a bay in the north-east of the main island.
First mentioned in 1388 as a property left by Bo Jonsson Grip, the castle later came into the hands of the crown which soon afterwards put it on lease to different landlords for several hundred years with short interruptions. After the 17th century the castle slowly disappeared from the scene and feil into a state of decay.
At the turn of the 19th century antiquarian interest for the castle was stimulated by the Finnish archaeological commission in its attempts to restore the castles of Finland. Archaeological work at Kastelholm started in 1950 and was followed up with excavations on varying scales during the 60's and 70's. In 1983 the present five-year project was started. A problem during the earlier excavations has been understanding the different building phases which the castle has undergone and establishing the relationship between the rather fragmentary remains and the archaeological finds.
As part of the five-year plan an intensiv study of Kastelholm and its immediate surroundings will be undertaken. During the course of this work medieval archaeologists will with the help of different natural sciences try to recreate the natural environment and conditions for the medieval inhabitant of the castle and at the same time reconstruct its different building phases.
