Muhu Stronghold
Young people in Muhu, Estonia, created AI art to represent the heritage of their island. They chose to represent the Muhu stronghold, which fell in the 13th century but is still visible as a landmark.
The old remains of Muhu Stronghold are located in the Linnuse village. It was probably the largest stronghold in Muhu and was built during the viking age, in the 11. century. Strongholds can be found all over Estonia and were ancient defensive structures where the local villagers could find refuge during conflicts.
Muhu stronghold is first mentioned in the Chronicles of Livonia when talking about the Crusaders trying to take over the last pagans in Estonia who were on Muhu and Saaremaa island. In January 1227, when the sea had frozen hard, a large Crusader army was gathered after the call of the Papal legate William of Modena. According to the Chronicle of Livonia, 20,000 troops had set out for Muhu from the estuary of Pärnu River and moved along the ice. A battle ensued at the stronghold. On the sixth day the stronghold was taken over and burned down.
A stone monument to commemorate the battle in 1227 has been put up in the middle of the stronghold. These pictures were made by our local young people using AI to imagine how the stronghold looked.