Saaremaa restores 200-year-old Laimjala manor for public use

Saaremaa Municipality has renovated the more than 200-year-old Laimjala manor building for 3.4 million euros, preserving an important part of the island’s manor heritage, ERR reports. The building now houses a manor school, kindergarten, library and local administrative centre.

Paintings dating back 230 years were discovered beneath layers of paint on the manor walls during the renovation. Their value led the municipality to amend the original construction plans.

“This is a painting from the time the manor was built, from the first layer, and its value lies in the fact that it is more than 230 years old,” said Liis Koppel, the Heritage Board’s adviser for Saaremaa.

The paintings required changes to the building’s central layout. Shower rooms were moved to an outbuilding, while a lift was installed between the basement and first floor. The lift could not be extended to the second floor because of the paintings, said Mehis Kallas, a construction engineer for Saaremaa Municipality.

Only about 10 percent of the 160 manor complexes that once existed in Saaremaa have survived. Koppel said that renovating any surviving manor complex was therefore a major event in preserving manor culture.

“Every valuable building counts. Of those that have survived, only a third are in perfect or good condition,” Koppel said.

The renovated building also includes a manor kindergarten and school for the first time. Four children are expected to study there from the new year, although the school has capacity for at least 30 pupils.

The opening comes as Saaremaa Municipality is also discussing the possible closure of the Laimjala school in the coming years. This would end the educational activities of the Laimjala branch of Orissaare Upper Secondary School at the manor.

“These are demographic figures that unfortunately point to a sad fate,” Saaremaa Deputy Mayor Moonika Parksepp said. “The question of where we go from here is ultimately open for discussion. Something can be written on paper, but we do not yet know whether it is final. Time will tell. Today we are discussing steps over three, five and 10 years.”