Description of the attraction
Vihula Manor is one of the oldest in the Laahemaa nature reserve. The first mention of the estate dates back to the 15th century, however, of the 27 surviving buildings, most of them date back to the 19th century. The first written mention of the Violl estate, as it was called before, dates back to 1501. Then the owner of the estate was the Danish baron Hans von Lode. The Danish von Lode family is one of the oldest noble families in Estonia.
It is believed that the history of the founding of the estate begins 300 years before the first written mention in 1501. The archives contain a 16th century document signed by the Bishop of Tallinn, which confirms that the founder of the von Lode family, the Danish knight Odvard, accompanied the Danish king on a campaign against the Estonian pagans in 1197. For his service, lands in the north of Estonia were presented to him. Most likely, the knight Odvard von Lode received land in the vicinity of Vihula and founded an estate there at the end of the 12th century.
In 1531 the Vihula estate passed to the Vekebrod family. In 1605, Evert Wekebrod gave Vihula to his daughter Britta, who married Melchior von Helffreich. The Helffreich family, originally from Germany, owned the estate for more than 2 centuries. The estate was severely destroyed during the Great Northern War (1700-1721), when in 1703 most of the buildings were ravaged and burned.
The oldest surviving building in Vihula Manor is the so-called Far Manor, which dates back to the second half of the 18th century. At that time, this building was the only one built of stone, all other structures were wooden.
The list compiled by land surveyor S. Dobermann in 1800 lists the buildings related to the estate: the main building, a sauna, a barn, a smithy and 3 wooden barns, as well as 2 pavilions, a stable, a bullshed, a distillery and a stone water mill.
In 1809 the estate was sold at auction due to the difficult economic situation of the owners of the estate. The new owner of the Vihula estate was Alexander von Schubert. The manor acquired its modern look during the von Schubert era. Most of the buildings date back to 1820-1840, and the main building was completed in the 1880s.
During the 1917 revolution, the Red Guard destroyed the estate. In the period between the First and Second World Wars, the state was the owner of the estate. During World War II, the estate housed a German counterintelligence school. After the end of the war, Vihula manor became part of the collective farm. In the period from 1951 to 1982. the manor house housed a nursing home. After a big fire in 1982, the buildings were transferred to the Viru collective farm.
Since July 1, 1991, the estate is owned by the joint stock company Vihula Mois. Today the total area of all buildings is 8 thousand square meters. Around the central buildings there is a park, the area of the surrounding land is about 47, 97 hectares. At the entrance to the Vihula estate there are stone columns with the coat of arms of the von Schubert family.
From 2008 to the present day, the estate has undergone a major restoration in order to maximize the preservation of the historical heritage and the protection of nature, while ensuring the functionality of the estate.
Currently, the estate has a hotel complex, a restaurant, as well as the possibility of renting premises for weddings, banquets, conferences, seminars.
