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Founded: 1899Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Estonia
Historical period: Part of the Russian Empire (Estonia)
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Oru Palace was a palace or castle in the northeastern part of Toila. The castle was originally the holiday home of a Russian merchant, Grigory Jelisejev, and later the summer residence of the Estonian head of state. It was built in the Italian renaissance style by Gavril Baranovski, with park designer Georg Kuphaldt. The 57-room three-story building was completed in 1899. The castle descends towards the river terraces, and also contains riding stables and manege. Alleged construction of the palace and the park was the total cost of 5 billion gold rubles.
After the Bolshevik revolution of October, Jelissejev went to Paris. The land belonging to the castle was not sold as it was farmland. In 1934, Jelissejev was not willing to sell land to private persons, but only in the state. The agreement was finalized on 22 February 1935. Until 1940 it served as the summer residence of the Estonian president Konstantin Päts. On 13th August 1941, a fire caused by the retreating Soviets largely destroyed the palace. Today notable gardens are located here.
References:La Hougue Bie is a Neolithic ritual site which was in use around 3500 BC. Hougue is a Jèrriais/Norman language word meaning a \'mound\' and comes from the Old Norse word haugr. The site consists of 18.6m long passage chamber covered by a 12.2m high mound. The site was first excavated in 1925 by the Société Jersiaise. Fragments of twenty vase supports were found along with the scattered remains of at least eight individuals. Gravegoods, mostly pottery, were also present. At some time in the past, the site had evidently been entered and ransacked.
In Western Europe, it is one of the largest and best preserved passage graves and the most impressive and best preserved monument of Armorican Passage Grave group. Although they are termed \'passage graves\', they were ceremonial sites, whose function was more similar to churches or cathedrals, where burials were incidental.