Over 500 years of history
The first written information about the Vihula Manor dates back to 1501. At that time Vihula (Vyoll) Manor belonged to the Danish baron, Hans von Lode. The von Lode family is the oldest nobel family in Estonia. There is entered a document from the 16th century into the Estonian Knighthood Archive, where the Bishop of Tallinn (Reval), Georg von Tiesenhausen, is confirming that the ancestor of the family, the Danish knight Odvard von Lode accompanied Danish King Canute on his conquests in Estonia by the end of the 12th century and therefore was given large areas of land in North Estonia.
In 1531 the Wekebrod family became the owners of Vihula. In 1605 Ewert Wekebrod left Vihula to his daughter Brita who had married to Melchior von Helffreich. The Helffreich family, which descended from Württemberg in Germany, owned the manor for more than two centuries.
During the Great Nordic War (1700-1721) in September 1703 the manor and its surroundings were devastated and burnt. There is no information when it was rebuilt after the war. The oldest preserved building in the manor is the so-called Tagamõis (Back Manor). It was built in the second half of the 18th century. At that time this was the only stone building. All the other buildings were made of wood.
There is a list of buildings compiled by the surveyor S. Dobermann in 1800. According to this list there were the manor house, granary, sauna, smithy and three wooden threshing-barns. In addition there were two pavilions, horse stable, distillery, ox-stable and a watermill made of stone.
At the beginning of the 19th century the economic situation of the owners was very difficult. They fell into debts and as a result the manor was sold on an auction in 1809. On the 23rd of February 1810 Alexander von Schubert became the owner of Vihula. The Schubert family descended from Elbing in West-Prussia. The father of Alexander von Schubert was a pastor and later a councilor in the court of Russian Tsar Paul I.
During the revolutionary times, in November 1917, the Red Guards devastated the manor. The furniture in the mansion was broken, the mill was burnt and greenhouses ruined.
After WWI Vihula Manor was nationalized and was a state-owned farm between the two world wars. From 1942-1944 a German Intelligence School was located in the manor. After WWII it became a part of the Ubja State Farm. From 1951 to 1982 there was a senior citizen asylum in the manor building. In 1982 there was a devastating fire. After that the buildings were given to Viru Collective Farm.
Vihula was built up as it appears nowadays during the time of the von Schuberts. The historicist main building was completed in the 1880s, but mostly the buildings were built 1820-1840.
Vihula Manor had an original plan for its grounds and the surrounding nature has played an important part in the development of the charming manor complex.
The main sources of income during the time of the von Schuberts were distilling spirits and selling timber.
Since 01.07.1991 the manor is owned and managed by a joint-stock company Vihula Mõis (Vihula Manor).
The manor complex is 2007-2010 undergoing a complete and total restoration. The aim of the restoration is to preserve the historical heritage and protect the nature as much as possible and at the same time to give a modern functionality to the buildings and the area.
Today the total size of all the buildings is over 8.000 sq.m. The park surrounding the central buildings has a large area that resembles the natural conditions beyond it. At the entrance there are beautiful stone columns with the coats of arms of the von Schubert family. The size of the surrounding land is 47,97 ha.
