History

THE DANISH PERIOD

It is likely that it was in virtue of trade that the name "Narva" got into manuscript holdings. In 1172, there was talk of the Nerevsky end in the Novgorod Chronicle. This was the name of the part of Novgorod where foreign merchants stayed. According to the assumption of the Russian historian Karamzin, this name is connected with Narva. Probably, after all, it was not about the settlement of Narva, but about the Narva river (Narova), which was crossed by a road leading from the west to Novgorod. As a settlement, Narva was first mentioned in written sources (as far as it is known) in 1240. In the "Danish Land Register" (Liber Census Daniae), Narva was still not a city, but a small village that belonged to the Danish king.

It is not known exactly when the castle was built on the Narva River, and when the town was founded, but both events relate to the period that is called the Danish period in the history of Estonia. On the pretext of spreading Christianity, Denmark conquered Tallinn in 1219 and thus claimed the entire Northern Estonia. For the convenience of subjugating the conquered territories, the new government begins to establish fortified strongpoints. First in Tallinn, then in Rakvere and Narva. In the case of the latter, it was about a strategically important place located on the eastern border of the Danish possessions, where there was a river crossing.

The construction of the Danish castle

According to the Novgorod Chronicle, at first the Danes attempted to build a fortress on the right bank of the Narva River. They probably wanted to establish a bridgehead for spreading Catholicism among the Finno-Ugrians who inhabited these lands. Orthodox Novgorod believed that this territory and its inhabitants belonged to it, so, naturally, it could not allow this and quickly destroyed the wooden fortress built up by the Danes.

After the failure of the attempt of the Eastern Catholic mission, the Danes built a fortress on the western bank of the river. The exact time of construction is unknown, but it was probably built in the second half of the XIII century, possibly before 1277. To be more precise, we know that before this year there was a meeting of the rulers of Livonia, where the danger of trade in Russia was discussed. At the meeting they agreed to further facilitate trade in Estonia and Livonia, as well as to allocate special trading and storage places for this purpose, which the local rulers guaranteed to protect on their own. It was probably more a matter of formalising the real situation, but Narva became one of such places. Already in 1277, the Danish governor Eilard von Oberghe called himself "the captain of Estonia, Reval (i.e., Tallinn) and Narva", which indicates the presence of a fortress in Narva.

Narva Castle 700 years ago

There are no written sources that could tell us something about what the castle looked like at that time. Researchers suggest that it was a simple wooden castellated fortress with a quadrangular bypass wall. After many conflicts with the Russians, which probably had a disastrous effect on the wooden fortress, the Danes at the turn of the XIII-XIV centuries began the construction of a stone fortress.

It was a castellated rectangular structure, the western, southern and eastern walls of which were in line with the outer wall of the convent house (according to some researchers, the eastern wall was completely absent, because before the era of firearms, the steep cliff of the coast provided sufficient protection anyway). Unfortunately, it is still impossible to determine the size of the Danish castell, because we do not know where the northern wall of this fortress was originally located. It was undoubtedly much more to the north than the modern northern wall of the Convent House, and it is even possible that the fortress of that time covered the area on which the Convent House and the Northern Courtyard are located today.

The entrance to the castle was in the western wall in the place where dansker is located today. Through the gate it was possible to get to the courtyard surrounded by a wall, there were residential premises for the defenders of the castle (probably opposite the western wall), as well as food warehouses. At the edge of the eastern wall, there may already have been a building with a well at that time.

Childhood of the Tall Hermann Tower

It should be noted at once that we cannot talk about the Tall Hermann Tower in the Danish period, because the tower of Narva Castle received its name only in the XVI century. What the predecessor of the Tall Herman looked like and when the first tower was built in Narva Castle in general — researchers cannot agree on these issues.

In the last century, in the 1960s, restorers found fragments of a semi-circular wall in the basement of the Tall Hermann Tower. This gave rise to the hypothesis that we are dealing with a free-standing circular tower built for defensive purposes in the north-western corner of the castell.

Since it is assumed that the circular tower was built in the second half of the XIII century, it could also have been the first stone construction in the Danish wooden fortress. Back in the period of the Danes, but already in the XIV century, the circular tower was replaced by a quadrangular one for some reason.

It was also suggested that the tower was originally built quadrangular, but its perimeter was much smaller than that of the modern one. This tower also belonged to the Danish period, but to the first half of the XIV century. However, both hypotheses agree that no later than the first half of the XIV century, the Danes built a quadrangular tower in the Narva Castle, the predecessor of the modern Tall Hermann Tower, which was about 12 metres high.

Construction of the Western Courtyard

It is likely that after the Russians burned the town in 1341, a large forecourt was built on the western side of the castle. The castle was separated from the large western courtyard by the zwinger. A zwinger is a line of advanced defence where a second, lower wall, the so-called zwinger wall, is placed in front of the main wall of the castle. This construction prevented a direct enemy attack on the main defensive wall. It was widely used in fortresses built in the era before the emergence of firearms. In any case, in 1345, the western courtyard should have already been ready, because at that time the King of Denmark Valdemar IV issued a commendation, according to which the inhabitants of Narva had the right to hide with their property in the western courtyard of the castle during military operations.

At that time, the western courtyard was half the size of the present one. The courtyard reached its final size only in the times of the Livonian Order. There was a gate on the north side of the west courtyard, facing the town, which was connected to the city by a wooden bridge spanning a natural moat.

Narva Municipal Law

The reason why the King of Denmark allowed the Narvitans to hide in the western courtyard was that there was no defensive wall around the city of Narva. According to modern concepts, the city of Narva at that time was more like a village and probably had a size at which the construction of a city wall was not feasible. In fact, we don't even know if Narva was a city at all before the construction of the Western Courtyard of the castle. To be more precise, the above-mentioned commendation of privileges is the document in which the municipal law of Narva is mentioned for the first time.

Historians believe that Narva probably still had municipal law before, since the issued commendation of the King of Denmark is formulated in such a way that it confirms the "old rights" of Narva. Also in the chronicles, already in the first half of the XIV century, for the first time in 1329, Narva was called a city (civitas or oppidum). On the other hand, it is possible that the phrase "old rights" was used simply to give the document more weight. In relation to the chronicle, moreover, it is impossible to be completely sure whether a city or just a large settlement was meant. Anyway, in any case, the commendation of Valdemar IV from 1345 confirms the existence of the same rights and privileges in Narva as in Tallinn, i.e., Lübeck city law. Thus, Narva was the easternmost city with the Lübeck law.

THE ORDER PERIOD

Most of those privileges did not have time to take effect, because suddenly the rule of the Danes in Northern Estonia came to an end. In 1343, the Estonians began to revolt against the German and Danish conquerors, known as the Saint George's Night Uprising, and the following year the second wave of riots swept across Virumaa. The rebels surrounded the castle, and the Danish authorities turned to the Teutonic Order for help. The rebellion was suppressed, but it cost Denmark dearly.

Namely, the Danes could not pay the price required for the suppression of the uprising, so the castle was mortgaged for a year to the Teutonic Order. As Denmark could not afford the sums that the Order requested for the suppression of uprisings in other parts of Estonia, King Valdemar IV of Denmark sold entire Estonia, and at the same time the city of Narva and the Narva Castle in 1346 for 19,000 Cologne marks to the Teutonic Order. The following year, they were resold to the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order (i.e., the Livonian Order). The Order's rule officially began in Northern Estonia, which lasted until the end of the Middle Ages.

Construction of the western and northern wings of the castle

Immediately after the transition to the reign of the Livonian Order, construction work began in the castle, which continued intermittently until the XVI century, as a result of which the castle acquired the appearance that has more or less survived to the present day. Even before the Second World War, historians believed that the Order rebuilt the Danish fortress-castell into a convent house, based on the general plan. To date, studies of the various stages of construction cogently prove that the Order did not actually have such a purposeful plan (although nothing excludes the idea as such), and the convent house is rather the final result of numerous construction and rebuilding.

The west wing was built the very first. The second floor of the building was vaulted, and the most representative hall - the dining hall of knights or refectory - was equipped here. On the first floor of the western wing there was a dormitory bedroom, the chapel was on the second floor of the tower, the tower itself was built up to a height of 28 m by the end of the XIV century.

Since after the construction of the western wing it was no longer possible to use the old gate, as they opened into the knights' bedroom, a new gate was built in the northern part, which at the same time meant the construction of the outer wall of the northern wing of the convent house (as mentioned earlier, originally the northern wall of the Danish castle was located much further to the north). The construction of the entire building of the northern wing was completed no later than the middle of the XV century.

Probably, during this period, an octangular corner tower with defensive passages was also built in the south-western corner of the convention house. In addition, two protruding elements of the main building of the castle were built: the well dansker on the river side and the western dansker.

The eastern and southern wings of the castle

In the second half of the XV century, the construction of the eastern wing was completed. At first, a separate building in the south-eastern corner of the castle opposite the eastern wall appeared, with three arrow slits for firearms on the lower floor. It is thanks to these arrow slits that the approximate age of the building can be dated, since arrow slits of this type appeared in the castles of Livonia only in the second half of the XV century. Soon another floor was completed, and then with the help of new constructions it was connected to the northern wing. Only when the southern wing intended for household premises was finally completed, in the first half of the 16th century, the castle acquired a layout that we can talk about as a convent house.

The initial absence of a construction plan for all four wings is evidenced at least by the fact that the wooden gallery running through the courtyard connected only the western, northern and eastern wings. The southern wing simply did not exist at the time of the gallery's construction, so the gallery reached the outer southern wall. This is confirmed by the preserved holes for the wooden beams of the gallery in the part of the western wall, which is today located indoors. The same story is true for the eastern wing - there is a window in the wall on the courtyard side, which was left indoors after the construction of the southern wing.

Life in the convention house

The name of the convent house comes from the convention of the order located there – an assembly that usually consisted of 12 brothers of the order under the leadership of the сommander. If fewer brothers of the order were represented in the convention, Advocatus was at the head of everything, who was subordinate to the nearest сommander. Narva Castle was the residence of Advocatus. All the traditional common rooms, as well as ceremonial halls were located in the west wing, the eastern and southern wings were apparently adapted for household needs. In the east wing there is a single well — in the well tower protruding from the eastern wall. The north wing is traditionally considered to be the residence of the Advocatus.

Despite the high position of Advocatus and the knights of the order, the castle was still primarily a functional building in which decorative elements were practically absent. The military function was dominant, and domestic needs remained in the background.

There were four calorifiers in the Narva castle (a burner with stones on the lower floor, from where warm air was blown through holes in the ceiling to the upper rooms), which was much more than usual in Estonia. In addition, there were fireplaces in the chapel on the third floor of the tower, but it was almost impossible to heat the stone buildings with thick walls. Therefore, if possible, in the castle courtyard, wooden residential houses were built between wars.

A wall is being built around the city

Although the main reason for the reconstruction of the castle was the need to adapt it to the needs of the order, it was equally important to strengthen the defence capabilities. The walls were built up and thickened (up to 6 metres), the Hermann Tower became significantly taller. The necessity to constantly strengthen and modernise the castle was determined by the usual practice of "communication" between countries of that time, a characteristic component of which was mutual military expeditions.

Before the emergence of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, it was possible to speak of equal opponents, the armies of Pskov and Novgorod marched to Narva, the knights of the Order also made sorties on the right bank of the river. Each expedition was followed after some time by a return expedition, so the local population lived in constant fear of war. In such a situation, it became increasingly necessary to surround the city with a defensive wall.

The Order took up this task in the last quarter of the XIV century. The construction was supervised by Narva Advocatus Arndt von Alterna, together with Hinrik van Oldendorp, the Advocatus of Pyltsamaa, who was called for help. As the defence of the city was the business of all citizens, they also participated in the construction of a defensive wall or in financing the construction. Since the population of Narva at that time largely consisted of Tallinn merchants, for whom Narva was not a permanent place of residence, the Narva city hall often had disputes with them on the topic of fulfilling obligations for the defence of the city.

The state of Narva Castle before the Livonian War

On the eve of the Livonian War, the mediaeval fortifications of Narva became morally and physically obsolete. Built at a time when firearms, which had just appeared in Europe, were more of a psychological weapon, frightening with its deafening noise, they were unable to provide serious protection from modern artillery guns of the middle of the XVI century, which had great firepower. Back in the XV century, firearms were used along with stone-throwing catapults, and because of the small initial velocity of the cannon ball, the power of destruction was also insignificant.

But since the middle of the century, due to numerous improvements, the guns have become more efficient, the increased initial velocity of the cannon balls allowed shooting on a horizontal trajectory, while the destructive power and accuracy of the shot increased. As this led to the formation of holes in the fortress walls through which infantry could penetrate the castle, in the second half of the XV century firearms became crucial in the preparation for assaults.

Despite the fact that by the end of the XV century the city walls were strengthened and a fortification was built in front of the gate, this was not enough to keep up with the development of weapons of offence. The weakness of the Narva walls was also discussed several times at the Landtag, the highest general assembly in Livonia. At the end of the Order's reign, the city walls were continuously improved, and many mediaeval towers in the wall were rebuilt into special gun towers, or rondels (one of them in the north-western corner of the western courtyard of the castle is still preserved in its rebuilt form). But, as future events will show, it was still not enough.

NARVA COMES UNDER THE REIGN OF RUSSIA

The truce that had been repeatedly extended since the beginning of the XVI century, ended in 1558, when the troops of Ivan IV the Terrible conquered Narva. It was not very difficult for the Russian troops, because the defensive structures of Narva did not provide any protection from firearms. Describing the events in hindsight, Johann Renner tells in his chronicle how the Russians "crossed the river with all their might, broke a hole in the city wall and entered the city through it." From the narrative of the chronicle, it appears that the Narva castle "was not stronger than the city, so the Russians brought cannons under the gates".

At the same time, it follows from the chronicle of Balthazar Russov that the guns of that time were not characterised by great firepower: "And since Livonian Narva is located directly opposite the Russian state, and only the river separates Livonia and Russia, the Russians from their land on the other side of the river could bombard Narva, pelt the city with stone balls and fireballs. But they did not cause much damage with them /.../".

The victory of the Russians was facilitated by a fire that broke out in the city immediately before the attack, which forced the inhabitants and defenders of the city to flee to the castle and leave heavy cannons behind. According to the Russian chronicle, Ivan IV's troops took 230 guns out of Narva, which was a major trophy for that time, especially considering that the battle as such did not happen.

SWEDISH FORTRESS AND CITY

In 1581, the Swedes conquered Narva and Ivangorod. Then the Russians, led by Boris Godunov, conquered Ivangorod for a couple of decades, but in 1612 it came under Swedish rule again. In 1649, the Swedes united Narva and Ivangorod into one city in order to increase the importance of Narva in eastern trade. But as Russian merchants and craftsmen continued to work on the Ivangorod side out of habit, the following year they were forcefully relocated across the river to New City, the northern suburb of Narva. From that time onwards, Ivangorod became part of Narva for three centuries and was called "Russian Narva".

Narva Castle during the reign of Sweden

After the conquest of Narva, the Order's castle was adapted for the residence of the viceroy of the Swedish king. The representative, but gloomy refectory of the Order's brothers-knights was rebuilt. Due to the loss of the defence function of the room, spacious bifora windows appeared in the hall. Probably, the mediaeval convent house seemed too old-fashioned and inconvenient, because already in 1586, just five years after the conquest of Narva, a new residence of the king's viceroy - the two-storey Stone Hall - was built in the northern part of the Western Court of the castle. The building had a simple plan and facade, a gateway passing directly through the building led to the bridge that connected the castle with the old town.

In 1593, as a result of an explosion of gunpowder in the castle, the roof of the Tall Hermann Tower was destroyed, and the tower itself was significantly damaged. The quickly rebuilt tower was again fitted with a four-pitched roof according to the mediaeval model, which can be seen in the drawing by Geotheris from 1615. Just before the outbreak of the Great Northern War at the end of the XVII century, the Tall Hermann Tower received a gable roof, which was also restored on the modern tower (many researchers have expressed doubts about the authenticity of the presence of a defensive passage or a wooden banquette located at the very top of the tower). The biggest building of the Swedish period in Narva Castle is a large rectangular arsenal complex, set back in 1638 in the south-western corner of the Western Courtyard for armourers and studios.

FORTRESSES AFTER THE GREAT NORTHERN WAR

In 1709, the Danish ambassador at the Russian court, Admiral Joost Juhl, who lived in Narva for several years, assessed the Narva fortifications as one of the strongest in Europe. At the same time, he considered the condition of the mediaeval castle walls to be critical. We can only agree with this, as seeing the crumbling castle walls in the engravings of the XIX century, we can conclude that after the Great Northern War, the castle began to collapse. In 1797-1802, Narva had a special status of a settlement that did not belong to any province.

However, special attention was paid to the city fortifications. In 1728, the first detailed inventory of the fortress was carried out, during which about 50 detailed metering schematic drawings of Narva bastions and the old city wall, as well as the Narva Castle and the Ivangorod fortress were compiled. The work was carried out by the Narva engineering team specially established for this purpose, which worked here until the second half of the XIX century. And although no new fortifications were built in Narva during the time of the Russian Empire, vigorous work was carried out to repair and complete the defence zone of the Swedish period. With the exception that the bastions arranged around the Ivangorod fortress were not built in the Russian period.

The fortifications of Narva and Ivangorod become historical values

In 1845, Tsar Nicholas I, by his decree, allocated 5,000 rubles in silver as an annual allocation "for the maintenance and repair of fortifications of Ivangorod and Narva, taking into account the original appearance." Within the boundaries of the fortifications it was forbidden to build wooden buildings, in the construction of stone buildings it was necessary to adhere to the Gothic style, so that the buildings could be combined with the general harmony, the projects and facades of the buildings had to be approved. Fortifications meant not only the Narva Castle and the Ivangorod Fortress, but also the old city of Narva surrounded by bastions, and the "Gothic style" should be understood as the entire antique architecture, including the Baroque-style centre of Narva.

This amazing concern of the ruler for an old-fashioned castle at first glance, was, in fact, perfectly in accord with the spirit of the era: at the height of the Romanticism fashion, antiquity in the broadest sense of the word, i.e., any historical material, and especially ancient buildings and their ruins, was popular throughout Europe. The fact that it was really a matter of the spirit of the times rather than of utilitarian necessity is confirmed by the special attention of the royal decree to the historical appearance of buildings. Historicity was a new and fashionable value that had not been realised in this form before. It is characteristic that it was at this time that the restoration of a number of ancient Russian fortresses took place in Russia, including those in Novgorod, Pskov and Izborsk. Of course, to the extent that one can speak of restoration in the sense of the practice of the time, which, among other things, allowed for the "decoration" of "boring" antiquities.

Scientific restoration

Soon after the Tsar's decree, in the summer of 1845, the Narva engineering team under the leadership of engineer Kel began to make scheme drawings recording the condition of the Narva and Ivangorod fortresses. On the basis of the scheme drawings, which were completed by December, a renovation project was drawn up, in which they proposed, first of all, to restore the walls facing the St. Petersburg highway, and to leave the rest in ruins or to rebuild them anew. This proposal was not approved, and a military engineer Modest Rezvoy, who was also one of the most famous cultural figures of his time, as well as lovers of history and antiquities in Russia, was sent to help the local engineering team.

In the spring of 1846, Rezvoi began preparatory research work: he painted watercolours from different points, fixed collapses on them, checked the drawings of the Narva engineering team on location, collected and analysed earlier materials depicting and describing the fortress, tried to find analogies to the poorly preserved parts of the structure in the same building. As a result of the work, scheme drawings were prepared for the reconstruction of the Narva and Ivangorod fortresses. In 1847, he presented these scheme drawings, already prepared for the restoration project, to Tsar Nicholas I, who approved them.

Restoration of the Narva Castle

Despite the methods described above, the reconstruction of the "original" fortress, which serves as the basis for the restoration project of the Narva Castle, is largely based only on assumptions, which in places dubiously approach fantasy. It is possible that one of the factors that influenced Rezvoy was Merian's drawing of the 17th century that was not the closest to the original. During the restoration work of the following years, it was not possible to realise all Rezvoy's plans, so the Narva Castle did not get the romantic look that the first restorer of the castle had drawn in his imagination.

According to Rezvoy's sketches, the flagstone outcrop under the convent house was reinforced with massive buttresses. Instead of the western dansker of the castle, which had collapsed, a new dansker was built with a frieze in the form of machicolations (a machicolation is a continuous row of hinged loopholes located on the outside of the wall or around the tower. A hinged loophole is a bay window-like element protruding from the wall with a hatch in its floor, through which hot tar, water, excrement, etc. can be poured on the enemy storming the base of the fortification). The well tower on the eastern side of the castle, which had partially collapsed, was restored in a much more decorative form compared to the mediaeval structure.

Rezvoy's plans to restore the mediaeval-looking pitched roof on the Tall Hermann Tower remained unfulfilled, and he also planned to build an octagonal watchtower similar to the south-western one on the south-eastern corner of the convent house.

The fortresses continue to be used for military purposes

Despite the obsolescence, the Narva and Ivangorod fortresses remain in the hands of the military even after the demilitarisation of the bastions. Not because of any special utility of the fortresses, but rather out of tradition and habit, because it was convenient to continue operations in the same place as for (hundreds of) years. To meet the needs of the garrison, construction and numerous rebuildings are being carried out. Since the mediaeval gates of the Western Courtyard of the Narva Castle became too narrow for the needs of the military, a New Gate was built to the north of it at the beginning of the XIX century. A sauna was built in the Western Courtyard for the garrison located in the castle, and in 1859 a wooden church dedicated to Alexander Nevsky was built. The church operated until the beginning of World War I, then it was demolished. The sauna survived much longer. In 1950, an exposition of the Narva City Museum was organised here. At the end of the century in the Ivangorod Fortress, a gunpowder granary was built in the Big Boyarsky City, and the pharmacy and a military infirmary in the northern detinets were converted into barracks.

XX CENTURY

The First World War and the Estonian War of Independence that followed it, passed without leaving much destruction in Narva and Ivangorod. When the troops of the German Empire occupied Estonia for 9 months in 1918, the Narva River became a border river again for the first time since 1612. Once again, it became a borderline for a short period of time during the last battles of the Estonian War of Independence. But according to the Treaty of Tartu signed between Estonia and Russia in 1920, Ivangorod passed to Estonia and became part of Narva.

During the period of the Republic of Estonia, the centuries-old tradition continued and both fortresses were handed over to the military, making them inaccessible to visitors and researchers. The fortresses were not available for civilian use until their serious destruction in 1944, which is why there is so little data about the interiors of mediaeval Narva and Ivangorod fortresses preserved.

War damage to fortresses

The Second World War hit Narva and Ivangorod twice. For the first time, in 1941, the fortresses were overcome with little bloodshed. But three years later, the fighting returned to this area, and although about 200 buildings were destroyed in Narva, the historical centre of Narva, factories on both sides of the river and the fortress remained relatively intact. The castle, however, suffered some damage, with the eastern wing and the stone barracks in the Western Courtyard being destroyed.

In early June, the Tall Hermann Tower was damaged by a large-calibre shell. By the end of the war, the tower and all the wings of the convent house were in ruins, with only the outer walls of the north-west rondel and Stone Hall remaining. Ironically, the Western dansker, restored in a decorative form by Rezvoy in the middle of the XIX century, survived the war with the least damage.

The condition of the Ivangorod fortress was not much better: 6 out of 11 towers were destroyed, two of them completely, long spans of walls turned into ruins, and almost all buildings in the fortress were damaged by cannon fire. The western part of the fortress turned into a pile of rubble, under which the Well Tower, the remains of its hiding place and the Gunpowder tower were buried.

A gruelling start of the restoration work

The already poor situation was further complicated by the fact that after the war the fortresses continued to be destroyed. And it was only in 1953 that the Narva Castle began to be cleared of debris, the remaining parts were painted, and preparations for restoration work began. Just five years after the beginning, the works in Narva Castle stopped due to lack of funds. In such a short time, they did not have time to do anything but clear the fortress of debris.

It makes sense that when state funding for the restoration of the Ivangorod fortress began in 1964, the working group of architect Henno Pott, who had previously worked in the Narva Castle (under the aegis of the Restoration Department of the Estonian SSR), got involved. In ten years, under the leadership of Estonian restorers, the first two floors of three towers (the Well tower, the Gunpowder tower and the Viceroy's tower) were rebuilt, holes in the walls were filled, and the stone wall cladding was partially restored.

A museum starts operating in the Narva Castle

После переезда экспозиции в замок в 1986 году в бывшей бане фонды хранились до 1990 года, опустевшее к 1995 году помещение было снесено.

In 1950, an exposition about the history of the city of Narva was opened in the former garrison sauna located on the territory of the Narva Castle. The history of the Narva Museum itself, of course, is vaster, it dates back to the XIX century, but the war left the museum without a roof over its head. The main part of the funds was saved, and a new exposition was compiled based on them. At that time, it was considered to be a temporary shelter, because they were about to expect the restoration of the historical building - the house of Peter the Great in the old town of Narva.  But when the ruins of Peter's house were unexpectedly demolished in 1959, it became clear that they would have to stay in the castle for a long time. Over a couple of decades, the exposition occupied the entire building, but since the rooms were initially too small for a museum, the restoration of the castle premises was eagerly awaited. After the exposition moved to the castle in 1986, the funds were stored in the former sauna until 1990, and by 1995 the room, which was empty, was demolished.

Restoration of the Narva Castle

Since 1968, restoration works in the Narva Castle have been carried out without delay. In December 1986, the city finally received the restored Tall Hermann Tower, as well as the western and southern wings of the castle, where the Narva Museum immediately began to set up a permanent exhibition talking about the history of the city. The following year, the north-western rondel in the Western Courtyard was completed, as well as the Stone Hall, which was restored about half its original length. A museum cafe was opened in the rondel, one part of the exposition about the city of Narva was originally supposed to be located on the second floor of the Stone Hall. As the number of museum employees increased due to the opening of the castle, the Stone Hall was completely transferred to the administrative building.

In the 1980s, the western wall of the Western Courtyard was renovated, as well as the Kristerval semi-bastion and the casemate located there. During the restoration of the Kristerval, a mediaeval tower of the city wall was discovered in its mound, which was preserved and restored; a cone-shaped roof was placed over it to protect it from the weather. Today, the part of the tower that has been preserved in the mound is visible, the restorers did not finish building up the destroyed floors of the tower.

In 1991, the funding for the restoration of the Narva Castle ended again, and the following year the Narva Department of the Estonian Restorer was liquidated. To prevent the restoration of the Northern wing from being abandoned in the middle, the Narva Museum was forced to finish the work on its own. The museum coped with this, and in 1996 the North Wing was opened to visitors. Then there was a break in the restoration for about ten years, until in 2005-2006 the Northern Courtyard of the castle was restored and opened, where the historical centre of the museum now functions, talking about the life of the XVII century.

In 2016, the Narva Museum's project "Creation of the Border Fortress Discovery Centre" received 3.54 million euros from the European Regional Development Fund for the complete restoration of the castle and the creation of a new permanent exhibition. The reconstruction work began in 2018 and upon its completion in 2020, a new permanent exhibition and the renovated Narva Castle convention building were opened to all visitors.

Like many Estonian museums, the story of Narva Museum starts with organisations established by local heritage enthusiasts.

In October 1861, the members of the Great Guild decided to create a museum room in the guild chambers of the stock exchange building. On 17 June 1862, the room was opened. It showcased heritage values related to the history of the city of Narva. A month later, on 17 July, the members of the Great Guild decided to establish a scientific association. On 25 March 1864, mainly on the initiative of the wealthier and more educated citizens belonging to the Great Guild, the Narva Heritage Society officially started operating with the goal of “collecting and studying data connected with the history of Narva and collecting and conserving such items that could be of importance to future generations, regardless of the era from which these items originate.”' The society held meetings in the rooms of the Great Guild, located in the stock exchange building next to Town Hall Square. The society's collection of heritage items (old coins and medals, historic weapons, items connected with everyday life and handicrafts, art pieces and old manuscripts) and library were also located in the building.

In December 1865, Tsar Alexander II granted permission “to place the house located in the Narva fortifications – i.e. the house of Peter the Great – whose importance has waned, together with the belongings located in the house, at the disposal and in the ownership of the Narva Great Guild Society.” The house was named in such a way because after wresting control of Narva from the Swedes in the Great Northern War in 1704, Tsar Peter the Great had stayed in this house during his multiple visits to the city. The building, along with the items belonging to Peter the Great that were still located there, remained the property of the Russian Imperial Family until it was handed over to the Great Guild. A museum was soon opened in the building, with its exposition consisting of the Narva Heritage Society's collection and historical items from the house of Peter the Great. The museum’s first guidebook was published in 1867. Although the activities of Narva Heritage Society wound down after one of its pioneers, Heinrich Johann Hansen, moved to St Petersburg in 1868, the museum remained opened in the house of Peter the Great.

On 9 August 1913 another museum was ceremonially opened in Narva: Narva City Museum, which at the time was named after the Lavretsovs. Its collection consisted of the art amassed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by local merchant Sergei Lavretsov and his wife Glafiira, which together with the house itself became the property of the city of Narva following the death of the Lavretsovs, as stated in their will. The collection, mainly representing the academic realistic paintings of the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century, was supplemented in the 1920s and 1930s with art purchases and donations from Estonian artists. Narva City Government also donated a series of portraits of Narva mayors and other honourable citizens painted in the 18th and 19th centuries, which until then had been located in Narva Town Hall.

In 1933, the adjacent Narva City Museum and Peter the Great Museum were merged. The aim of this merger, among other things, was to unite and organise their collections according to theme, with art and ethnography destined for the Lavretsovs' house and the collection of historical objects for Peter the Great's house. Prior to the battles of the Second World War reaching Narva, some of the most valuable exhibits were evacuated to the Soviet Union, which in the meantime had occupied Estonia. The remainder of the collection was exhibited until 1944, when on 6 March devastating bombing by the Soviet Air Force destroyed two buildings of Narva Museum along with the baroque city centre of Narva itself. Fortunately, before the destruction of the city, the objects remaining in the museum were placed on a train heading to Tallinn. However, the train too was bombed, close to Rakvere. The exhibits which survived the bombing were donated to Rakvere, Paide and Tallinn City Museums. By the end of the war there were no museums or collections left in Narva.

On 22 July 1950, a small exhibition on the history of Narva opened in the courtyard of Narva Castle, in one of the small rooms of the former garrison sauna. Among other items, it contained objects from the old collection, since from 1949, when serious consideration began to be given to the re-establishment of a museum in Narva, other Estonian museums started returning their exhibits to Narva. In 1956, the collection evacuated to Russian was also party returned. Relief from the reduced circumstances in which the museum was operating was expected within three or four years, when the museum was to have moved to the restored house of Peter the Great, but contrary to expectations, the ruins of the house were demolished in 1959. Hopes of the restoration of the castle also seemed to be dashed, since in 1960 the financing of the restoration works that had been ongoing since the mid-1950s was halted. Despite these setbacks, the museum expanded its activities in a temporary location, with exhibitions were already being held in nine halls by 1957. Restoration of the castle recommenced in 1968.

The Kreenholm Factory Museum was established in 1977 as a branch of Narva Museum, but its exposition in the workers' barracks did not open until 1983. This branch was closed in 1992 and its collection was transferred to Narva Museum. In December 1986, Tall Hermann Tower and the western and southern wings of the castle were opened along with a new permanent exhibition on the history of Narva. In 1987, the restored artillery tower and the Stone Hall in the north-west corner of the Great Western Courtyard were handed over to the museum. In 1996, the Northern Wing of the castle’s convent building was completed, where an exhibition showcasing 19th-century Narva was opened. The Narva Museum art gallery was opened in April 1991, in which the art collection in the museum's fund was placed, including a significant proportion of the pre-war art collection that belonged to the museum. The art gallery is located in Gloria Bastion in an old military outbuilding constructed in 1777.

In 2005 and 2006 the Northern Courtyard was renovated. The North Yard – a centre for experimental history – was opened in the North Courtyard of the restored castle in 2007. It represents Narva Museum's interpretation of an early-modern craftsmen's district from the 17th century. During summer, visitors find themselves right in the midst of history and have the opportunity to try out many historical handicrafts.

The Carl Linné Garden was completed in 2009. The museum based the herb garden on a tradition initiated by Carl von Linné at the end of the 17th century: one of establishing herb gardens near manors and palaces and fortresses or their ruins that had by that time lost their original (military) function. Plants used in kitchens and medicine grow in this classicalist-style herb garden.

Landscaping and renovation work took place in the castle park in 2013 and 2014, improving the views of the castle and bringing light to the park. The location of the embankment of the destroyed bastion running through the central part of the park was marked with a hedge. In addition, the fountain and obelisk built in the early 1950s were restored.

In 2016, a Narva Museum project entitled 'Opening of the Border Castle Discovery Centre' received 3.54 million euros from the European Regional Development Fund for the complete restoration of the castle and the creation of a new permanent exhibition. Reconstruction work began in 2018, with the aim of opening a new permanent exhibition along with the refurbished Narva Castle convent building.

The fully restored convent building with its new exhibition was opened to visitors in June 2020. Those interested can now access the river side of the east wing and the gallery on top of the convent building, which were previously closed to visitors. They offer magnificent views of the castle courtyard, the river and Ivangorod Fortress on the east bank. The main theme of the interactive exhibition, which provides the whole family with the joy of discovery, is the 700-year-old Narva Castle that sits on the border between east and west and its long history. Narva Castle is also one of the most modern medieval buildings in the Baltic Sea region – there are two glass-walled elevators in each of the two stairwells in the castle, which facilitate movement on the four floors of the building for the elderly and for people with special needs.