Tilsi was split off from neighboring Väimela manor in 1749. At first it often changed hands, but from 1833 until 1919 it belonged to the Roths. The long one-story timber house went up in several stages: its oldest parts may date from the 1700s, but it reached its final form and length in the second half of the 1800s. Two projecting side sections with triangular gables enliven the facade, and a small veranda stands before the central entrance. A handsome Historicist gateway crowned with weathervanes separated the carriage circle from the road.
From 1921 the house held a children’s home for decades. Since the home moved into a new building nearby in 1978, the house has stood without a fixed use but has survived. The handsome gateway and several altered outbuildings also remain.
Owners
von Roth1833–1919
Good to know
A 3-kilometer road led to Tilsi from the Tartu–Võru road, its last few hundred meters a straight avenue aimed at the center of the house.
The house once had fine views over the long Lake Tilsi.
From 1921 the house held a children’s home for decades.
