Raadi Manor
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Raadi Manor (german: link=no, Ratshof) was in the area known as
Raadi-Kruusamäe Raadi-Kruusamäe, or Raadi for short, is a neighbourhood of Tartu, Estonia. It has a population of 4,498 (as of 31 December 2013) and an area of . Raadi is mainly suburban area. The name Raadi comes from Raadi Manor (german: Ratshof), which be ...
, on the outskirts of
Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...
in Estonia. The manor and Raadi Manor Park were the home to the Liphart noble family who were significant art collectors. The family moved away and the buildings housed the
Estonian National Museum The Estonian National Museum ( et, Eesti Rahva Muuseum) founded 1909 in Tartu is a museum devoted to folklorist Jakob Hurt's heritage, to Estonian ethnography and folk art. The first items for the museum were originally collected in the latter ...
until the manor was destroyed during the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Part of the grounds became
Raadi Airfield Raadi Airfield (Tartu Air Base) is a former air base in Estonia located northeast of Tartu. The land once belonged to Raadi Manor and is now designated as the new site of the Estonian National Museum. History In 1940 were requisitioned fro ...
which was used as a secret Soviet bomber base for fifty years. Today the park is open, some buildings are in use by the museum and plans are underway to create a new museum building here.


History

The site of the main manor was established in the Middle Ages. Plans of Raadi Manor Park date back to at least the middle of the 18th century.Raadi Park
VisitEstonia, retrieved 31 December 2013
The grounds were designed by the German landscape architect
Peter Joseph Lenné Peter Joseph Lenné (the Younger) (29 September 1789 – 23 January 1866) was a Prussian gardener and landscape architect. As director general of the Royal Prussian palaces and parks in Potsdam and Berlin, his work shaped the development of 19 ...
. The manor itself was founded in 1783.Estonian National Museum Where is this? When is this?
, ERM.ee, retrieved 1 January 2014
The gardens were admired by Maria Fjodorovna who was the second wife of
Paul I of Russia Paul I (russian: Па́вел I Петро́вич ; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination. Officially, he was the only son of Peter III of Russia, Peter III and Catherine the Great, although Catherine hinted that he w ...
. The golden age of Raadi was when the Liphart family were here. They were a noble family who took an interest in the local intelligentsia and particularly in Art.History of Manor
Eesti. Rahva Muuseum, retrieved 31 December 2013
Karl Eduard von Liphart Baron Karl Eduard von Liphart or Carl Eduard von Liphart (16 May 1808 – 15 February 1891) was a noted art expert and collector from Estonia. The family manor was near Dorpat (now Tartu). Life Liphart was born in Kambja Parish in the Kreis Dorp ...
created a large collection of drawings and graphic art which is still owned by the Estonian National Museum. His son
Ernst Friedrich von Liphart Baron Ernst Friedrich von Liphart (1847–1932), Russified as Ernst Karlovich Lipgart and also referred to in English as Earnest Lipgart, was a painter, a noted art expert and art collector from what is now Tartu in Estonia. After living for a t ...
moved away from Raadi with his father in 1860. They both lived in Florence from 1862. Father and son were estranged in 1873 and Ernst later moved to Russia where he continued to paint and mix with the Russian nobility.Baron Ernst Friedrich von Liphart
RusArtNet.com, retrieved 31 December 2013
Ernst's father died in
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
in 1904. After his death his art collection was moved back to Estonia where it was combined with his family's collection at Raadi Manor.The Environs of Plymouth
rehs.com, retrieved 31 December 2013
The manor was subject to unsympathetic building at the turn of the 20th century. The Liphart family moved away during World War I and the
Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
heralded the start of sales of the more valuable part of the art collection in Copenhagen in 1920. The manor was obtained by
Tartu University The University of Tartu (UT; et, Tartu Ülikool; la, Universitas Tartuensis) is a university in the city of Tartu in Estonia. It is the national university of Estonia. It is the only classical university in the country, and also its biggest ...
. The buildings housed the
Estonian National Museum The Estonian National Museum ( et, Eesti Rahva Muuseum) founded 1909 in Tartu is a museum devoted to folklorist Jakob Hurt's heritage, to Estonian ethnography and folk art. The first items for the museum were originally collected in the latter ...
from 1922. This was a bold move as the Liphart family of Baltic German aristocrats were viewed as "ideologically and culturally revolting" by the local Estonians. Despite this the museum was popular and the grounds became a place for leisure. The manor was destroyed during the Tartu Offensive in 1944 when it caught fire during a bombing raid.


Airfield

Military airport building in 2008 In 1940 100 ha were requisitioned to create a Soviet airport.History
ERM.ee, retrieved 31 December 2013
The airport became a major Soviet bomber base for fifty years. The secrecy of the airfield meant that foreigners were not allowed to visit the city. Over 100 bombers were based here making it the largest Baltic airfield. This meant that the museum's collection had to be stored in places like the city's churches. The airfield is still seen as a reminder that Estonia was occupied by Soviet forces.


Today

Today the
Estonian National Museum The Estonian National Museum ( et, Eesti Rahva Muuseum) founded 1909 in Tartu is a museum devoted to folklorist Jakob Hurt's heritage, to Estonian ethnography and folk art. The first items for the museum were originally collected in the latter ...
has buildings for storage at Raadi and the ice house and gatehouse have been renovated. The museum has plans to build new buildings here and it has organised an architecture competition to identify a winning design. That design choice was made in 2006. The winning single-storey multi-national design will retain the legacy of Raadi Manor's history. The new building will be nearly 34,000 square metres and will incorporate the museum, conference facilities and a cinema. The building may start before 2015. The park is currently open to the public.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raadi Manor Buildings and structures in Tartu History of Tartu University of Tartu Manor houses in Estonia Tourist attractions in Tartu