Home to the Lahemaa National Park’s Visitors’ Centre, the manor of Palmse began life as a Cistercian convent before being bought in 1677 by the von Pahlens, a leading family of Baltic barons who stayed here until they were booted out by the land reform of 1919. The family’s eighteenth-century complex of manorial buildings subsequently served as a barracks, then a children’s holiday camp, before the Lahemaa National Park authorities set up their HQ here in 1972.

The Manor House

An impressive ensemble of cream and pale-blue buildings is grouped around a central courtyard, bound by fruit orchards and landscaped parkland. Inside the courtyard, a balustraded staircase sweeps up to the doors of the Neoclassical Manor House (Palmse Mõis), filled with antique furniture from all over Estonia and sepia photographs of the estate as it was in the von Pahlens’ time. Outside, an old creamery contains an exhibition of sleds and coaches, and beyond this lies a conservatory filled with palms and cacti.

The Visitors’ Centre

You’ll find the Lahemaa National Park Visitors’ Centre in a former coach house at the entrance to the manor courtyard. With an exhibit on Estonia’s national parks and conservation issues, it’s well stocked with maps and English-language leaflets describing various trails.

Practical Info

Palmse Manor House: Open; Wednesday - Sunday 10:00 - 16:00. Tickets: €8.