Sangaste Castle Park

The Sangaste Castle is one of the most magnificent sights in southern Estonia, and a visit is highly recommended to all culture and history lovers. The castle, the most prominent building in the Sangaste manor complex, was designed by the architect Otto Pius Hippius in 1874. He was inspired by the architectural style combining the late Gothic style of the Tudors and the Renaissance style. The last lord of the manor at Sangaste, Friedrich Georg Magnus von Berg (1888–1938) was inspired by the architecture he saw in England.

The English style landscaping ideas in the garden also originate from England. The reliefs of the land in the garden are diverse and the beauty of the nature is expressed in the best way possible, highlighting the plants growing in their own rhythm for decades, now under the loving hands of the castle family.

The visitors of the garden are welcomed by large lawn areas, which immediately make one think about holidays. A bit further to the back, we can see the ponds that were once established to dry the marshy land and are now a nice complement to the English garden.

Diverse flowerbeds

The colourful flowerbeds are a lovely sight, bringing joy to all garden enthusiasts. On the two flowerbeds of 24 square metres in total, there are 32 different plant species, carefully selected taking into account the peculiarity of each perennial. On closer inspection, even though the two beds look alike, they feature completely different plant varieties. The beds are shaped in consideration of the sunny and the shaded side of the garden, creating a beautiful whole.

On the sunny bed, we can see astilbes, the “Vision in Red” variety of false goat’s beard (Astilbe Chinensis), for example, expressing a playful lightness with its bushy appearance. The large-petal Papaver “Patty’s Plum” is graceful while the white-petal Aster ageratoides asran is beautiful in its simplicity.

The delicate pinkish phlox paniculata “Katherine” is blooming on the shaded bed. Of rare plant species, we can also see the fascinating perennial honesty Lunaria rediviva, and Culver’s root, Veronicastrum virginicum “Fascination”, a favourite of bugs, is also there. These plant species are only some of the many at the Sangaste Manor Garden.

When visiting the garden, bear in mind that the most beautiful time to visit is from July to August–September. Of course, you are welcome to enjoy the flowers coming up in early spring or drifting off in late autumn as well.

Additional info

Visitor centre where is currently housing the exhibition `The count of Rye and World Wonders`.

How to get here? The Sangaste Castle is located in Valga County, about 70 kilometres from Tartu and 25 kilometres from Otepää.