Häme Fortress is an ancient castle with fortified walls of grey stone, later renewed with red bricks, whose artillery embrasures offer a magnificent view of Lake Vayanayavesiu.
The architecture of the building certainly picks up on the German style. That and the balcony, which replaced the interior doors of the first floor rooms, and the courtyard, decorated with vaults with characteristic ornamentation.
The castle, built in the 13th century in the fertile area of Häme, fulfilled defence and economic functions, as well as contributing to its social development, resulting in the fortress becoming an administrative centre. Subsequently, after the loss of its strategic importance and the annexation of Finland to Russia, Häme Fortress was a Russian fort until 1917.
The oldest building here is a well, laid out in the courtyard in case of a siege of the town. In the middle of the eighteenth century, one of the premises of the fortress housed a bakery, which baked daily bread and breadcrumbs for the Swedish army.
In the middle of the 18th century, a bakery was located in one of the premises of the fortress.
From 1837 to 1952 the fortress was a prison. After restoration, Häme turned into a museum complex, where in the summer medieval fairs and city festivals are held in the surrounding park.
