Kolga Manor, Kuusalu, Estonia

Kolga manor was founded in 1230 by the Cistercian monastery, located on the Swedish island of Gotland. In 1581 Sweden’s King Johan III presented Kolga to his army commander, Pontus de la Gardie. Through marriage, the manor changed hands from this well-known Swedish family to the Stenbocks who were the owners until the land reforms of 1920. In 1993 the grandiose mansion was returned to the Stenbocks. The building’s history has had many phases: the stone building, built in de la Gardie’s time, has remained intact among the other buildings. Between 1765 and 1768 Count Karl Magnus Stenbock had a late-Baroque central section with a high roof built.

The Stenbock family is one of the most famous Swedish families. Their forefather, Field Marshal Magnus von Stenbock, was one of the most influential people in Sweden alongside King Karl XII. Generally known as humane masters, his grandson Carl Magnus von Stenbock became notorious for permitting 1200 farmers from his manor to be deported to Ukraine in the 18th century. Among all the family members bearing military titles, there were also those with a different destiny, such as Eric von Stenbock, bohemian poet and a friend of Oscar Wilde, who died at a young age in England. Today the manor is in the hands of Finnish relatives of the Stenbock family.

Kolga was one of the largest manors in Estonia. With its 50000 hectares of land and many other smaller manors nearby, such as Kiiu and Kõnnu, all in all it was almost the size of some smaller German duchies. Even if most of the buildings are in ruins, the manor still leaves a powerful impression. Next to the main house, in the former stable, is a cosy hotel (with 20 double rooms) and conference rooms are located in the manager's house. The main building houses the village shop and a rural restaurant.

Reference: Manor.ee

Walls of Constantinople

The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.

Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.

Robert Hellrand (4 years ago)
Impressive architecture but in nerd of repairs

Magnus Mägedi (4 years ago)
Must visit manor in Estonia. This is the largest manor in Estonia and if you won’t manage to get inside of main house, it’s still worth to see outside area and on the top of manor, there is very nice museum in side building - open from Wed to Sunday from 10 AM - 6 PM. Our family truly enjoyed!

Yerlan Akhmetov (4 years ago)
Must visit place in Kolga. This is the biggest manor in Estonia. It is still in the process of renovation.

Ruslan Podzigun (4 years ago)
It's more like abandaned place

Rene-Mario Johanson (4 years ago)
Beautiful old building!

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