Suuremõisa Park (

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

''Suuremõisa'' 'Big Manor') is the largest park on the

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

n island of Hiiumaa. It is in the village of Suuremõisa, which itself surrounds Suuremõisa Manor. The park covers . The manor and park are Estonian cultural heritage monument number 23623. The park was founded by Countess Ebba Margareta von Stenbock (1704–1775) (née De la Gardie) during the construction of Suuremõisa manor in 1755. The park was originally planned to be in the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style, and the portions closest to the castle (terraces, roads, and ponds) reflect this design. Later portions of the park were built in the English style. The oldest portions of the park, to the east behind the main building, are surrounded by a high wall topped with red roof tiles. Little remains of the walls to the west of the main building. The main portion of the park is in front (west) of the manor. The park is mostly level with the exception being a hill found between the two ponds. This hill was once topped by a small cottage known as “Babylon”. The name came from the locals mispronouncing the name of the adjacent “pavilion”. The ponds are spring fed and separate the park from the apple orchard. The ponds have been also used to raise fish. To the west of the castle, the Suuremõisa River flows through the park from north to south. A forest park stretches from the western banks of the river to the village of Salinõmme. The park contains about fifty varieties of trees and shrubs, including Estonia's tallest European Silver Fir (''

Abies alba Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The g ...

'') whose height was measured to be in 2000, Estonia's tallest Sitka Spruce (''

Picea sitchensis ''Picea sitchensis'', the Sitka spruce, is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to just over tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 5 m (16 ft). It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth-l ...

'') (), and Estonia's tallest Japanese Larch ('' Larix kaempferi'') (). The largest European Ash (''

Fraxinus excelsior ''Fraxinus excelsior'', known as the ash, or European ash or common ash to distinguish it from other types of ash, is a flowering plant species in the olive family Oleaceae. It is native throughout mainland Europe east to the Caucasus and Alb ...

'') is () tall and in circumference. The largest wych elm is tall and circumference and the largest tilia is tall and circumference. The park contains allees of

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

, horse chestnut, and

maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

. White pine, Swiss pine, Balsam fir, Northern Oak, and

White Spruce White spruce is a common name for several species of spruce (''Picea'') and may refer to: * '' Picea engelmannii'', native to the Rocky Mountains and Cascade Mountains of the United States and Canada * ''Picea glauca ''Picea glauca'', the whi ...

are also found in the park. Outside the park boundaries lie several kilometers of Black Alder allees that delineate an old road towards the town of Käina. Since 1959 the park has been under the protection of a nature conservancy.

References

External links

Suuremõisa Manor and Park
Number 23623 in the State Register of Cultural Monuments (in Estonian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Suuremoisa Park Parks in Estonia Hiiumaa Parish Geography of Hiiu County Tourist attractions in Hiiu County