Estonian manor halls. Taagepera

Taagepera Hall is situated close to the Latvian border, 18 kilometres to the West of the small town of Tõrva. Since its first mention in 16th century records the estate has belonged to several noblemen's families, its last owner before expropriation in 1919 being Hugo F B von Styck, who had the present manor hall built after drawings by Otto Wildau in 1907-12. The structure represents the national romantic version of Art Nouveau, partly relying on Finnish examples. Due to its asymmetrical ground plan and its 40-meter tower at the left wing, the hall looks somewhat like a medieval caste. The finish is granite ashlars and plaster, the original slate roof having later been replaced with tin. Most of the outhouses date from the 18th and the 19th centuries. A block of wards opposite the hall was built in 1938-42, when the former manor hall housed a lung diseases and psychiatric hospital; today it functions as a hotel and conference centre.