Estonian manor halls: Hiiu Suuremõisa

The Suuremõisa, originally Pühhalep (Pühalepa), Manor on Hiiumaa Island was established in about the 15th century as an economic unit of the Livonian Order. After passing into the ownership of the King of Sweden, it belonged to different noblemen’s families and then to the Russian Imperial Crown, until Countess Ebba Margaretha von Stenbock bought it in 1755 and had the present two-storied baroque mansion with a high basement and a mansard built (the main building with mansard roof was completed in 1750 and the wings and a outhouses in 1772). In 18796 the manor passed into the ownership of the Ungern-Sternbergs, from whom the property was alienated under the Republic of Estonia Land Reform Act in 1919. Suuremõisa is regarded as the most stylish manor ensemble in Estonia. The manor had numerous outhouses (some of them destroyed) and a large park at the back of the house. The manor hall of 64 rooms has stucco decorations, ceiling pieces, an arching main staircase in two flights, a baroque door with beautiful carvings and other carved details in various parts of the building. The main building today serves as a basic school and a secondary specialised school.