Pürksi manor

Pürksi manor (Birkas in German) was founded in 1620 and initially changed hands frequently. By the end of the 18th century it belonged to the von Rosen family. In 1797, Friedrich von Rosen’s daughter Augusta Magdalena married the owner of Paslepa manor, painter Baron Karl Johan Emmanuel Ungern-Sternberg. After two years, the manor became theirs. The Ungern-Sternbergs held Pürksi manor until its expropriation in 1919. The last owner of the manor was Rudolf von Ungern-Sternberg, who died in Kharkiv in 1911, while in service in Russia. As his son had also died young, the manor remained in the hands of his relatives until its expropriation. 

The main building of the manor, with a stone lower part and a wooden upper part, was probably built in several parts in the 19th century and survives today. At the beginning of the 20th century, Rudolf von Ungern-Sternberg  had the manor renovated to take up residence there in his old age, but died before he was able to do so. In addition to the main building, a few outbuildings have survived, such as a small barn and carriage house next to the main building.

The manor house had stood empty and was used as a barracks during the war. In the autumn of 1920, the newly-opened Swedish-language Pürksi agricultural and folk university opened its doors in the main building of the manor. The school operated in the manor until 1943.

The school had a difficult start, as living conditions were not good and there was a shortage of teaching materials and students had to bring food and even crockery from home. The school was able to open thanks to support from Estonia, Finland and Sweden, as well as collections. The folk university format, which was widespread in the Nordic countries, was not very common in Estonia, but the registration of the school as an agricultural school ensured that teachers were paid by the state. Most of the teachers, including most of the school’s rectors, were from Sweden. Around 25 students were admitted each year for one academic year which lasted from mid-October to early May.

The Pürksi agricultural and folk university had a great influence on the Estonian Swedes. The school presented an opportunity for young people from different Estonian Swedish regions to meet up for the first time and the students lived in the school during the academic year. At school, they learned the standard national Swedish language, which was otherwise only used in church, as well as Swedish culture, music and literature. Pürksi was the starting point for the spread of round dances to the Estonian-Swedish regions, which were very popular at school, as well as the custom of celebrating Saint Lucy’s Day. At school, young people were taught new farming and housekeeping techniques, although it was not easy to introduce them at home.

In 1939, Russia got a military base in Pürksi with the Soviet-Estonian Mutual Assistance Treaty, and the schoolhouse there could no longer be used. Vormsi was chosen as its new location. 1940. the Soviet authorities did not give permission for the school to open, but the last head of the school, and the only Estonian Swede among the heads of the school, Fridolf Isberg, managed to use his cunning to convince the authorities. In 1941, the school was once again operating in Pürksi, but closed down in 1943 when people started to escape the country. In just over 20 years, 577 students, 63% of whom were girls, studied at the Pürksi agricultural and folk university.

When an upper secondary school was opened in Pürksi in 1990, offering in-depth instruction of Swedish and Nordic culture, it was decided that the old manor house would be used as a school building. The restored manor house was officially opened in December 1995, and the ceremony was attended by Lennart Meri, then President of Estonia. Nowadays, the manor houses the language classes and library of Noarootsi Upper Secondary School.

Pürksi manor park

 

An informal park, built in the second half of the 19th century, has been preserved at Pürksi manor. It has been a nature conservation site since 1973.

The 3-hectare park has three sections. The oval front square was lined by a circular road, with groups of trees blocking the view of the animal dwellings. There was a large orchard between the part of the park nearest to the main building and the dense park forest beyond. The centre of the park is now a meadow with only a handful of fruit trees remaining.  The pruned box hedges also draw attention.

The park forest is designed with groups of trees of the same species, with deciduous and coniferous trees in groups: linden-spruce, oak-spruce.  The park is home to a beech tree that is under protection as a natural monument. Close to it is a circle of ten linden trees planted close together – the crowns of the trees, over 28 metres tall, have all entwined.

The biodiversity at Pürksi park is moderate with 32 taxa of trees and shrubs (2005). The main species are oak, linden and spruce, plus maple, elm, bird cherry and rowan. Shrubs include lilac, germander meadowsweet, Tatarian honeysuckle, sweet mock orange and others. The European white elm is a less common species growing in the park and it is also home to protected species of bats such as the northern bat and the Nathusius’ pipistrelle. The musk strawberry and the wood violet have become naturalised species.

‘Pargisuitaja teejuht. Põhja-Eesti pargid’ (title in English: ‘The park wanderer’s guide to parks of Northern Estonia’)

 

Ghosts of Pürksi manor

 

Hilda Sedman, who studied at Pürksi folk university, recalls that the attic of the manor house was haunted. The former owner of the manor, von Stackelberg (although the manor belonged to Ungern-Sternberg), had two sisters who were said to be so wicked that people dared not enter the manor. After their deaths, they returned to the manor at night. They made their presence known by knocking and showed themselves as rays of light.

The girls from Vormsi, who used to share a room between the eight of them, did not dare to go out in the dark for fear of ghosts, except in groups of three or four.  Sometimes, of course, the boys would wear white sheets to spook the girls and make sure the ghost stories continued to scare them. They were not bothered by the fact that they themselves had often heard ominous knocking from the attic.

The second story known at Noarootsi Upper Secondary School is that the manor is haunted by its first owner, Ungern-Sternberg. Karl Johann Emanuel Unger-Sternberg died in 1830 under suspicious circumstances. The manor was inherited by his 18-year-old son Otto. Some years after his father’s death, rumours began to spread that Karl had never really left the manor. People who visited the manor described how they were followed by ghostly shadows at every step and how they felt someone’s gaze on them. People also felt that Otto’s demeanour had become strange – he was often seen talking to himself and his sentences seemed to contain clues that others could not understand.

After Otto’s death, the manor went to his son Rudolf, who also quickly gained the reputation of a madman. He would tell confusing stories about his grandfather, alleging that his ghost wouldn’t leave him be in the manor, and became increasingly paranoid. Before long, Rudolf had had enough and moved to Ukraine with his wife and children. The move and the death of his 11-year-old son were said to have had an even worse effect on him, and he was never the same. We can assume that Karl has still not left Pürksi manor, and his heavy footsteps can still be heard pacing the rooms at night.