Visiting Behind Closed Doors in Summer

Text Timo Raussi

Photo Visit Estonia / Toomas Mitt

The interior of Linnahall, which has stood closed for years near the Port of Tallinn, can nowadays be visited quite regularly, namely on Saturdays through guided public tours in English. Many magnificent manor buildings across Estonia, however, open their doors to visitors extremely rarely, if ever. A few such open days will take place again this summer thanks to the “Forgotten Manors” event days.

In fact, the association of Estonian manor schools has been organising these days since 2004, but for a long time it was done only from a local perspective, with information distributed solely in Estonian. With the help of the automatic translation function in the Navicup map application and wider international coverage, more and more travellers have become aware of the nature of the event.

This year’s event should no longer really be called the “Forgotten Manors” days, as in addition to 27 manors or manor schools, two sites related to the industrial history of southern Estonia and five churches in southern and eastern Estonia will also open their doors, each with interesting stories to tell. What these sites have in common is that they are not among the most well-known tourist attractions—just as the name of the event suggests.

The open days will take place over two weekends in July, 4–5 July and 18–19 July, and additionally on Saturday, 8 August. On the hour between 10:00 and 18:00, the sites will host either a guided walking tour or another activity prepared by the hosts during the day, such as a concert, exhibition, or workshop. At some locations, a home café will also be open for the occasion.

The sites do not open their doors entirely free of charge, as the association collects a participation fee to support manor school activities: €6 for adults, €3 for schoolchildren and pensioners, or €14 for families. Those who wish can also take part in an event lottery after visiting at least six manors and collecting stamps in their visitor passport. Prizes include books about Estonian history and manors, as well as invitations to the closing event held in autumn at Luua Manor.

More information and exact locations of the participating sites can be found on the Navicup map here.

To learn more about this and similar topics
churches Forgotten Manors event Guided Tour Linnahall manors