Vatla manor is first mentioned in the late 16th century. It became the property of Swedish noble family Bielke but was later taken over by the Swedish state through one of the so-called reductions. Later, it again came into the hands of different Baltic German aristocratic families. The current building dates from around 1810, and there are still some rather typical neoclassicist interior details preserved, such as a painted frieze and a tiled stove. Following the land reform that was enacted when Estonia gained its independence in 1919, the manor was transformed into a school.
References:The Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg is situated in a strategic area on a rocky spur overlooking the Upper Rhine Plain, it was used by successive powers from the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years' War when it was abandoned. From 1900 to 1908 it was rebuilt at the behest of the German kaiser Wilhelm II. Today it is a major tourist site, attracting more than 500,000 visitors a year.
The first records of a castle built by the Hohenstaufens date back to 1147. The fortress changed its name to Koenigsburg (royal castle) around 1157. The castle was handed over to the Tiersteins by the Habsburgs following its destruction in 1462. They rebuilt and enlarged it, installing a defensive system designed to withstand artillery fire.
The fortification work accomplished over the 15th century did not suffice to keep the Swedish artillery at bay during the Thirty Years War, and the defences were overrun.