Kukulinna manor dates back to the Middle Ages and is first recorded in 1553, when it belonged to the Löwenwoldes. From the late 1600s it changed hands often, and in 1870 it was acquired by the Koskulls; the last owner before expropriation was Helene von Loewenstern. Probably in the 1870s a stylish Gothic Revival timber building took shape here, many of whose details, including its crenellated turrets, are borrowed from the English Tudor style. A new hall wing was added at the lake end of the older one-story house, along with an open veranda at the back. The manor stands right on the picturesque southeastern shore of Lake Saadjärv.
In the 1920s and 1930s the manor was used by the Pallas art school, and in Soviet times it held a pioneer camp, for which the house was rebuilt and given a large extension at its right end. The open veranda at the back and its decoration are gone, and the pointed-arch windows of the hall wing have been simplified. The house is privately owned; as of 2013 it was not being maintained and was falling into disrepair. A few outbuildings also survive, including a two-story stone workers’ house.
Owners
von Löwenwolde1553
von Koskull1870
von Loewenstern1919
Good to know
In the 1920s and 1930s the manor was used by the Pallas art school.
Many details of the Gothic Revival house, including its crenellated turrets, are borrowed from the English Tudor style.
The manor stands right on the southeastern shore of Lake Saadjärv.
Photos through time
1923 · Kukulinna manor Tõnu Kiipus · Eesti Rahva Muuseum, ERM Fk 450:25 · CC BY-NC1923 · Kukulinna manor Tõnu Kiipus · Eesti Rahva Muuseum, ERM Fk 450:26 · CC BY-NC1923 · Kukulinna manor Tõnu Kiipus · Eesti Rahva Muuseum, ERM Fk 450:27 · CC BY-NCarchive · Lake Saadjärv and Kukulinna manor Tartu Ülikooli muuseum, ÜAM F 483:190 F · CC BY2012 · Kukulinna manor house, 2012 Toivo Laan · CC BY-SA 3.0 EE2012 · Kukulinna manor house, 2012 Ivar Leidus · CC BY-SA 3.0 EE2012 · The Kukulinna manor servants' house, 2012 Toivo Laan · CC BY-SA 3.0 EE2012 · The Kukulinna manor park, 2012 Toivo Laan · CC BY-SA 3.0 EE
