Manor · Lääne-Viru County · Väike-Maarja
Vao Wack
The estate is named for the Wacke family, who built a stone tower house here in the Middle Ages whose walls are original through all four stories. The Rennenkampffs bought it in 1744 and added a wooden Baroque house beside the tower, with a granary and carriage house framing the forecourt. In 1918 fire consumed the wooden house, but the old stone tower stood firm, as it had for half a millennium.
Built / first recorded c. 1775
Style Baroque (timber house) and medieval tower house
Condition Lost 1918
German name Wack Today
Only the cellars and foundation of the house remain, but the 15th-century tower house is a museum, and the granary, stable and distillery still stand.
Owners von Wacke13. saj–16. saj Edler von Rennenkampff1744–1919 Good to know The tower is one of Estonia’s best-preserved small vassal castles; for defense its entrance was on the second floor. Local legend tells of a tunnel running 3 km to Kiltsi. Since its 1986 restoration the tower has housed a museum. Photos through time 1906 · The Vao (Wack) main house1906 · The Vao main house1933 · Vao (Wack) old main house1937 · The old Vao towerarchive · The ruins of the Vao manor buildingsarchive · The Vao tower housearchive · Vao (Wack) old towerNearby
The buildings are stylized impressions, not surveyed models. Facts: mois.ee, Museum of Estonian Architecture, ERR, Wikipedia. Photos: MuIS and Wikimedia Commons, credited with each photo.
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