"We reviewed 133 architectural monuments listed as manor heritage. As a result of the assessment, our preliminary proposal is that protection should continue for 85 sites, while state protection should be ended for 48," said Anita Staub, head of the National Heritage Board's built heritage department.

The National Heritage Board has been reviewing and updating its list of monuments since 2023 and Jõgeva County is the first county where manor heritage has also been reviewed as part of a pilot assessment.

Estonia has nearly 5,000 architectural monuments, with manor heritage accounting for more than half of them. Staub said manors in five counties have been reviewed over the past year, with Jõgeva County the first for which the analysis has also been completed.

The National Heritage Board has offered owners advice to help restore valuable protected buildings, but Staub acknowledged that in some cases, properties were added to the list rather arbitrarily.

"For example, during the Soviet era, when the first inventories were carried out, quite a few buildings were placed under protection even though there had actually been no proposal to protect them. I would say that manor heritage was placed under protection very broadly and extensively and in many cases the buildings were already in quite poor condition when they were first protected," she said.

The National Heritage Board's recommendations are not final. The assessment results will be presented to the Jõgeva County community in the coming week and only after that will the board decide which buildings to remove from the list. The assessors themselves do not always agree.

Staub cited Võisiku Manor as an example, saying it prompted heated debate: "Historically, Võisiku Manor has been a very special place. It is also the setting of 'The Czar's Madman,' an important work in Estonia's literary history. However, in the 20th century, the main building in particular was extensively altered and a very large addition was built onto it, significantly affecting the historic setting. Based on our assessment, we are currently proposing that state protection of the buildings in this manor complex be ended."

In addition to Jõgeva County, manor heritage assessments have also been carried out in Pärnu, Lääne, Hiiu and Saare counties. The National Heritage Board plans to gradually review all buildings listed as manor heritage, but the process will take time.

"We are hearing from across Estonia, 'When will you get to our county?' But I have to say that this is a fairly resource- and time-intensive project. It involves different fields; for example, we have also brought in archaeologists because manor heritage is not just about buildings — it often includes archaeological heritage as well. Assessing these five counties alone took 10 months," Staub said.

The goal is to review and assess all manor heritage sites by the end of 2028.

More information about plans for the manor heritage assessment is available on the National Heritage Board's website.

The Jõgeva County report will be presented in Puurmani on Tuesday, October 7.

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