Sagadi is a 6km drive from Palmse and its manor house is very different. Local writers prefer it to Palmse, making comparisons with the chateaux on the Loire and even with the Garden of Eden. Travellers arriving with such expectations will definitely be disappointed, but those with a more open mind will see how a typical Baltic-German family lived and ruled. The land was owned by the von Fock family from the 17th century, but the current building, and those immediately surrounding it, date largely from the 1750s. Construction was not therefore hindered by the Northern War which halted work at Palmse. The facade was rebuilt in 1795, with the addition of the balcony. The von Focks had a variety of business careers, largely in shipbuilding and in forestry, but none reached the eminence of the von der Pahlens. The family lived in the building until 1939 although, following the Land Law of 1919, the estates were nationalised and the main building became a primary school. It kept this function until 1970, and soon afterwards full restoration of the whole estate began. Some of the furniture is original but, as at Palmse, many pieces have been brought from other houses which were not restored. The carpet in the banqueting hall is from Aubusson in France and belonged to President Konstantin Päts.Allow time for a walk in the park behind the house. It contains what is probably Estonia's tallest oak tree (about 33m in height) and also exhibitions of contemporary sculpture. The Forestry Museum was extended in 2006 and moved into new premises in the former stables, to the right of the entrance gates. Further work on the museum is planned for 2007, by which time most exhibits should be labelled in English. There is also an extensively provided shop which sells a wide range of goods all hand-produced in Estonia. Prices here are much lower than in Tallinn. On the left-hand side the out houses have now been converted into a hotel.
Neil Taylor "Estonia. The Bradt Travel Guide", 2007 |
