Palupera Manor Complex and the Yellow Window of National Geographic

The one-storey stone manor was built in the first half of the 19th century. The buildings of Ropka Manor are located on both sides of the street of Ropka tee. Preserved manor buildings include the farm hand's house, cattle barn, converted stables and a barn, a cellar and a park. There were three ponds in the park and it is planned to restore one of them. There was an orchard with a regular plan on the western side of the servants' house, which is now a built-up area.The building is in private ownership and can only be viewed from the outside.

Pikajärve manor, which is also known as the Cantervilla Castle, is probably one of the cosiest manors in Estonia. The main building (built in 1908) and the vivid quarry stone outbuildings are on a landscape filled with beautiful dome-shaped hillocks, high up on the shore of a lake. The walls of the halls of the eye-catching main building are decorated with landscape paintings and portraits, antique furniture and the light from the chandeliers add festivity and romance. The manor is private property at the moment and operates as an establishment for holding different events and offers accommodation.

Väimela Manor was first mentioned already in 1590, but the current main building is from 1952.The threshing building, distillery, farmhands' barn, farmhand's house, milking parlor, woodworking shop, granary and grain dryer, hay barn, barn and dairy have been preserved. Bernhard von Loewen was the last squire.Today, the manor is managed by the Võru County Vocational Training Centre. The manor park was established in the 18th century and there are mostly lindens, maples and oaks.Lakes Alajärv and Mäejärv in Väimela are connected with a stream. South of Lake Alajärv, in Matussaare, is the burial ground of squires of Väimela and the ruins of a chapel, that was built in 1885.You can only see the manor from outside.

Ahja Manor dates back to the Middle Ages (from 1553). The two-storey main building of the baroque Ahja Manor with a half-hipped roof, completed in the late 1740s, was one of the most luxurious in Southern Estonia at that time. In the years 1929–1997, a school operated in the manor house.In 2007, there was a fire in the building and only the walls remained. Several smaller buildings have been preserved from the manor, although most of them have been rebuilt. There is also a beautiful park with a pond which is under nature and heritage protection.The manor with the park is known to many thanks to the book Little Illimar based on the childhood memories of the folk writer Friedebert Tuglas from Ahja.

Tähtvere Mansion was first mentioned in 1515 and belonged to the Bishop of Tartu in the Middle Ages. In 1919, part of the lands of Tähtvere Mansion were sold as the first building plots of Tähtvere District. The main building of the mansion (built in 1910 in the heimat style) has been preserved and is used as one of the study buildings of the Estonian University of Life Sciences (an extension has been added to it).The surviving outbuildings of the mansion are a small animal barn, a maid's house, a barn/grain dryer, a cattle barn, a farmhand's house, and a smithy.The Mansion can only be seen from the outside and it can also be seen for example in the guided bicycle tour "Tartu City Mansions".

Võisiku manor was first mentioned in 1558. It was one of the biggest manors in Livonia in the 18th and 19th centuries, stretching from Põltsamaa to Lake Võrtsjärv. There were 52 buildings on the manor originally, some of which we can still see today, and a further 67 in outlying parts of the manor and its mirror factory. Lord of the manor Timotheus Eberhard von Bock, who drew up Russia's first constitution for Emperor Alexander I and was sent to the Schlüsselburg fortress for 9 years for doing so, is the central character in Estonian author Jaan Kross' novel "The Emperor's Madman". Did you know...? *Today the main building houses Võisiku Nursing Home and can only be viewed from the exterior

Sangaste Castle is one of the Southern Estonian places worth discovering that are marked with a yellow window. If you are interested in culture and history, it is definitely worth a visit. Sangaste castle and park were fashioned after the famous Windsor castle in England. The magnificent halls, architecture and history of the castle make this a good place for a big wedding, get-togethers or spending the night in a genuine castle. The castle restaurant serves local food and real rye vodka made from Sangaste rye. In addition to the castle, the stables, dairy, barn, water tower and arboretum are also open for visitors.

Mooste Manor, established at the time when the Nolcken family ruled the area, lies on the shore of Lake Mooste. Beside the beautiful manor house you will find the pride of Mooste Manor, one of the most impressive auxiliary building ensembles built in the historicist style. Most of the buildings are constructed from stones and decorated with brick. An English-style park adds to the appearance of the manor. The manor house accommodates a school, and the former woodworking workshop has been renovated into the Mooste Manor Guest House. A restorer’s workshop operates in the old workhorse stable, and the Centre for Arts and Social Practice occupies the steward’s house, while the former barn has been transformed into a 500-seat concert hall.