Kuressaare Fortress is a polyfunctional cultural and natural
site, a museological introduction into the history and nature of
Saare County, a venue of cultural and sport events and other
outdoor activities. It is the most popular tourist destination
on Saaremaa Island, with foreign tourist making up more than
half its visitors. The state owned Saaremaa Museum, the biggest
scholarly and cultural institution on the island, manages most
of the territory of the site and its seat there. The most
valuable part of the complex is its core a bishop's castle
erected mainly in the 14th century in Late Gothic style (first
mentioned in 1381). It is threestoried structure of the
Konventshaus type built on a strictly quadrangular ground plan
after models of European order architecture, with a powerful
7-story Defence Tower on the north corner and a more slender
6-story Watch Tower on the east corner. The building material, a
local brand of limestone known as Saaremaa dolomite, is easy to
work and has lent the building its c