Palmse Manor is located in the heart of Laahemaa National Park. This estate is different from Vihula Manor, where everything is homely, rustic. Palmse, for all its beauty, reeks of a landowner's snobbery, a desire not to stray one iota from the rules of good manners.
In 1677, the von der Palen family acquired the Palmse estate and owned it until 1925. Amongst this family were those who went down in history as heroes, but there were also those who left a bad memory. For example, Karl Magnus became a major general at the age of 36; his portrait adorns the gallery of heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812 in the Hermitage. Whereas Peter Ludwig von der Palen, known to us as Peter Alexeyevich Palen, who initially enjoyed the great trusted by Emperor Paul I, later became involved in an attempt on that emperor's life.
The Lord's house that we see today was built in the late 17th century and and rebuilt in 1785. Passing through the main manor gates, you will enter the central manor square. On either side of the main building are a stable - a carriage barn and a barn. The main building, made of stone is two-storeyed, according to tradition, it was divided into two halves: male and female. There were about 20 buildings on the territory of the estate, the most splendid was the greenhouse, which was very fashionable in the 19th century.
The mansion house has been restored to its original furnishings, and there is an exhibition on the history of the estate and the von Palen family. There is a souvenir shop on the grounds of the Palase estate, located in the restored Cavalier House, a greenhouse with a collection of plants, and there is also a hotel with conference rooms located in the a building that once housed a wine factory. In addition, it is possible to visit one one of several restaurants and a wine cellar, which offers an excellent selection of noble beverages.
At the Palmse estate you can visit the automobile museum, among the exhibits is the black executive car of Alexandra Kollontai. You can take a stroll through the park, whose paths stretch for 12 kilometres and pass waterfalls and magnificent landscapes. In one of the rooms of the main house there is a collection of old clothes, which you can not only touch with your hands, but also put on and even walk around in.
The grounds of the Palmse Estate still contain piles of stones. In times of crop failures, the local landlords helped their peasants by offering them grain for their for food. The peasants, in gratitude, decided to clear the landlords' fields of of stones. This is how these stone piles were formed. There are also 13 boulders on the estate, which are 10 metres in diameter. According to legend, they're petrified devils who were frightened frightened the nuns who came to this place. However, in fact, the boulders were carried here by the mainland ice from around Vyborg.
