Tale of two castles

[Manfred M]

There are two castles on the Island of Saaremaa, Estonia. Both were built by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (German warrior monks).

The first, the moated Kuresaare Castle (originally Arensburg) in the south-west was the seat of the local bishop is in great condition an is surrounded by a moat and protected by high bastions. It is located in the island's main town, in a beautiful park setting.




The second; Maasi Castle (originally Soneburg), was located on the north-eastern part of the island. It is in the middle of nowhere... It did not fare quite as well. The Danes controlled that part of the island and the Swedes captured the castle twice. The Danes ended up destroying it so that it could not fall into Swedish hands again. I went B&W with this image because of mixed light (daylight + tungsten) that ended up looking unattractive. These chambers sit partially below ground level.

[Shadowman]

Nice captures.

[IzzieK]

Very interesting story here, Manfred...thanks for the explanation for the black and white...

[mugge]

Beautifully done. The cloud cover in the first picture keep the colours nicely muted.
Cheers Ole

[Wavelength]

What a beautiful color scheme of Nature and man together, in #1

What a fantastic lighting in #2!!!