Rakvere

Rakvere, historically also called Wesenberg, lies in northern Estonia. Denmark granted the town Lübeck rights in 1302. After Danish Estonia was sold to the Livonian Order in 1346, a stone castle rose on the fortified hill. A Franciscan monastery was established in the early sixteenth century. During the Livonian War Russian forces took the town in 1558, and a Swedish siege in 1574 left it badly damaged. Sweden captured Rakvere in 1581; warfare between Sweden and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth subsequently brought further destruction, including the castle's ruin in 1605. Its history reflects the importance and vulnerability of a fortified town amid competing Baltic powers.