Alatskivi Manor, Alatskivi, Estonia

The Alatskivi Manor (Allatskiwwi in German) was first mentioned in 1601. In 1628 Swedish king Gustav Adolf II donated it as a gift to his secretary Johan Adler Salviusele. In 1642 the manor was further passed into the possession of Hans Dettermann Cronmann and in 1753 it was bought by Otto Heinrich von Stackelberg.

The present huge castle manor was designed by the land owner Arved von Nolcken. He had travelled in Scotland and fascinated to the Balmoral Castle. Von Nolcken wanted to build a copy of royal castle to Alatskivi. The new neo-Gothic main building was completed in 1885 and it was one of the most luxurious manor houses in Estonia.

At present, the building is owned by Alatskivi Community and being restored to serve as a museum and restaurant.

Reference: Visit Tartu

User Reviews

J G (2 years ago)
Really majestic and smart too. First this is beautiful everywhere: gardens, building, interior, even the parking with storks. First floor is a historical review of rooms on how people lived in this middle-of-nowhere castle. The basement is dedicated to handcraft and history boards that explain all about the castle. The pottery room is lead by Tanel Tell who teaches to kids how to make a bowl. Nice guy and ready to make visitors happy. 1st floor is dedicated to art (paintings and music) , the museum of Estonian composer Eduard Tubin, and digital used in the castle. It is impressive for its diversity and the manner it is displayed.

RK Geetha (2 years ago)
A majestic looking castle

Jaanika S (3 years ago)
Nicely renovated castle with museum, restaurant, concert hall and suites. Area around the castle is also beautiful and nice hiking trail near.

Elinor Toodo (3 years ago)
Really nicely renovated, beautiful historic place. Informative, also in English.

Laura Tomson (3 years ago)
Great food! Beautiful castle. Quiet and nice place.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Dan Lundberg

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Hagios Demetrios

The Church of Saint Demetrius, or Hagios Demetrios, is the main sanctuary dedicated to Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki. It is part of the site Palaeochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO since 1988.

The first church on the spot was constructed in the early 4th century AD, replacing a Roman bath. A century later, a prefect named Leontios replaced the small oratory with a larger, three-aisled basilica. Repeatedly gutted by fires, the church eventually was reconstructed as a five-aisled basilica in 629–634. This was the surviving form of the church much as it is today. The most important shrine in the city, it was probably larger than the local cathedral. The historic location of the latter is now unknown.

The church had an unusual shrine called the ciborium, a hexagonal, roofed structure at one side of the nave. It was made of or covered with silver. The structure had doors and inside was a couch or bed. Unusually, it did not hold any physical relics of the saint. The ciborium seems to have been a symbolic tomb. It was rebuilt at least once.

The basilica is famous for six extant mosaic panels, dated to the period between the latest reconstruction and the inauguration of the Byzantine Iconoclasm in 730. These mosaics depict St. Demetrius with officials responsible for the restoration of the church (called the founders, ktetors) and with children. An inscription below one of the images glorifies heaven for saving the people of Thessalonica from a pagan Slavic raid in 615.

Thessaloniki became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1430. About 60 years later, during the reign of Bayezid II, the church was converted into a mosque, known as the Kasımiye Camii after the local Ottoman mayor, Cezeri Kasım Pasha. The symbolic tomb however was kept open for Christian veneration. Other magnificent mosaics, recorded as covering the church interior, were lost either during the four centuries when it functioned as a mosque (1493–1912) or in the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917 that destroyed much of the city. It also destroyed the roof and upper walls of the church. Black-and-white photographs and good watercolour versions give an idea of the early Byzantine craftsmanship lost during the fire.

Following the Great Fire of 1917, it took decades to restore the church. Tombstones from the city"s Jewish cemetery - destroyed by the Greek and Nazi German authorities - were used as building materials in these restoration efforts in the 1940s. Archeological excavations conducted in the 1930s and 1940s revealed interesting artifacts that may be seen in a museum situated inside the church"s crypt. The excavations also uncovered the ruins of a Roman bath, where St. Demetrius was said to have been held prisoner and executed. A Roman well was also discovered. Scholars believe this is where soldiers dropped the body of St. Demetrius after his execution. After restoration, the church was reconsecrated in 1949.

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