Kärstna Manor Park

The Kärstna Manor Park is a historical site in Viljandi County.

The manor park in Kärstna Village, Viljandi Parish, envelops the neoclassicist main building and the old ancillary buildings (sauna, brewery, barn). The Kärstna manor centre was formed into its current shape at the turn of the century before the last, when the young lord of the manor Kurt von Anrep undertook to manage the manor. The most well-known lord of the manor was the founder of the park, general Reinhold von Anrep, whose military career is commemorated by the beautiful classicist style piece of art set up on the Kärstna chapel hill on the family burial ground of the Anreps – a bronze lion. According to a legend, the lord of the manor used to walk his own lion in the park. The park and the alleys are under national nature conservation.

After nationalisation, the Kärstna School was opened in the manor building, which operated from 1924 to 2014. Currently, the building hosts the Kärstna leisure centre, the local library, family physician’s offices and the Kärstna class of the Tarvastu kindergarten.

The triangle-shaped north-south direction park covers about 10 hectares. More than half of the park is surrounded by a stone fence which is better preserved in the west due to the moss layer. There are three small ponds in the park, fed by springs and connected via culverts. Each pond used to have its own purpose: one was a medicinal pond for treating horse hooves, the second was a fish-pond for carp farming and ice for the ice cellar and the third was a swimming pond for the manor people.

Rich in plant varieties, the manor park is the perfect place for walks and picnics.

There are lots of tree species in Kärstna Manor Park. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, 100 tree and shrub species were labelled in the park. On the edge of the park, there is an information board with overview of all species.

The oldest and largest trees in the park are

• larches dating back to the manor era (European and Siberian larch)
• butternuts
• Douglas firs
• oaks
• lindens
• maples.

The Kärstna Manor Park is rich in fir trees. Some of the older trees still left are Siberian firs and balsam firs, and lots of young firs and ornamental shrubs have been planted. The most beautiful time to visit the park is in July when the untamed giant bellflower is in bloom by the walking path. The park features:

• 500-metre circular walking trail
• campfire site
• benches for resting
• children’s playground
• gazebo for picnics

In front of the manor building, there is a dignified old oak tree providing shade over the concerts organised underneath.

In the winters, the park opens one- and two-kilometre skiing tracks established by the Kärstna village movement. During the village cleanup days in the spring, people come together to clean up a part of the park’s territory. Every two years in July, a park party will be held.

Additional info

How to get here? The Kärstna Manor Park is located at the intersection of the Viljandi-Suislepa and the Mustla-Tõrva roads in Kärstna Village, Viljandi Parish. The park is open for visitors all year round. Tour guide services are also available, and the manor building can be visited.