Pädaste manor is the only remaining

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

on Muhu island. It was established as a

manorial estate Manorialism, also known as the manor system or manorial system, was the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of Europe, notably France and later England, during the Middle Ages. Its defining features included a large, sometimes forti ...

in the village of

Pädaste Pädaste (german: Peddast) is a village on the Estonian island Muhu. It is located on the southern coast of the island by the Gulf of Riga. Administratively, Pädaste belongs to Muhu Parish, Saare County. In 2000 the village had a population of 4 ...

in the 16th century. The first owners were the Baltic German family von Knorring. Later it has been the property of several different members of the

Baltic nobility Baltic German nobility was a privileged social class in the territories of today's Estonia and Latvia. It existed continuously since the Northern Crusades and the medieval foundation of Terra Mariana. Most of the nobility were Baltic Germans, but ...

. The estate was a profitable agricultural centre during especially the 18th century, with large

rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is u ...

fields, an orchard, sheep pastures, hayfields and birch forests. The manor house itself was originally constructed in wood. At least one of families that owned the estate did not ever live at the manor, and therefore little interest was for a long time given to the embellishment of the estate. In 1875 however the presently visible main building was erected. Apart from the main building, the estate also preserves many of the outbuildings, dating from approximately the same time. The last owner before the Estonian Declaration of Independence and the subsequent sweeping

land reform Land reform is a form of agrarian reform involving the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution, generally of agricultural ...

in 1919 which ended the centuries-long domination of a land-owning, German-speaking aristocracy, was Ernst Johann Bock. Its more recent history includes being used as a home for the disabled between 1950 and 1970. Today a renowned luxury hotel, spa and restaurant operates in the renovated manor. It has been praised by several well-known international magazines, including ''The Times'', ''The Financial Times'', ''Wall Street Journal'', ''Berliner Zeitung'' and ''De Telegraaf''. Guests have included queen Margrethe II of Denmark and

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

References

External links

* {{Coord, 58.55033, 23.28074, format=dms, type:landmark_region:EE, display=title Manor houses in Estonia Muhu Parish Hotels in Estonia 1500s establishments in Europe