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Padise Stronghold, Padise, Padise,
Harjumaa
| Padise Stronghold |
| Address: Padise, Padise, Harjumaa |
| Tel: +372 53 432 836 |
 Send e-mail |
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www.padiseklooster.ee
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Padise Stronghold, or the Old Stronghold (Vanalinnamägi) as it is popularly known, is a site of the Middle Iron Age (7th-8th centuries) hill fort sitting on a high promontory in the bend of the Kloostri River. The stronghold was surrounded by earthworks and a log fence; excavations at the site, however, have yielded but a few artefacts: a flat arrowhead, fragment of an ornamental bronze pin, a fire iron and pieces of clay pottery. The Padise Stronghold was not permanently inhabited, instead it was used for defensive purposes in the mould of other hill forts found in the coastal regions of Estonia. The location of the stronghold suggests connections with the sea and a harbour site. After all, in ancient times the sea cut into the land for more than one kilometre between Kurkse and Madise, forming a deep bight sheltered from western winds, which could have served as a suitable location for a harbour. Seeing that the road passing by Padise Monastery was already in existence at that time, it is quite likely that the road junction, offering a convenient location for commercial activities, was chosen for a harbour site. Subsequently a stronghold was built to protect the trading port.
On the other hand, the establishment of the Padise Stronghold has been associated with the formation of parishes: Padise emerged as the centre of the Vomentaga parish. Parishes (kihelkonnad) in those days simultaneously functioned as territorial defence subdivisions and administrative units based on a mutual agreement or covenant – kihl – of their members. One of the principal tasks of a parish was to protect its residents, and what better way to offer shelter and security than to build a stronghold.
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