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http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/kuressaare-castle-fortress/
The convent building is a magnificent example of the late Gothic style in the architecture of fortifications. The extreme stricktness of the exterior and the monumental heaviness form an organic union with the tasty interial architectural elements and decor, that dominates despite its simplicity.
The length of the side of the convent building is 43 m; the height of the powerful 7-storeyed Defence Tower in the northen corner is 37 m. A metre wide defence gallery with battlements surrounding the whole castle was renovated in the first half of the 1980s. It enabled the defenders to move from one wing to another with ease while at watch or defending it. The gate of the castle had to be defended the most, we can see a 2-storeyed gate-guarding building or oriel next to the Defence Tower. On the first floor there is the lifting mechanism of the portcullis; from the openings of the upper floor stones, hot tar or water was thrown at the enemies or arrows shot. This defence system was restored on the basis of analogy; the only original elements are dolomite pillars that make it possible to move the portcullis.
In 1876 the coat-of-arms of Saare-Lääne (Oesel-Wiek) bishopric with the central figure of an eagle, was placed above the gate. Hence the German name Arensburg, which means: the castle of an eagle. Entering the gate we step into the gateway, where a cannon from the year 1803 is exhibited. There are openings in the walls next to the gate - one could put horizontal beams into them and close the entrance safely. We can see such openings in the wall of the bishop's bedroom also. A vase carved and decorated with the motifs of medieval baptismal fonts decorates the almost-square courtyard.
