Suuremõisa Park


Suuremõisa Park is the largest park on the Estonian island of Hiiumaa. It is in the village of Suuremõisa, which itself surrounds Suuremõisa Manor. The park covers. The manor and park are Estonian cultural heritage monument number 23623.
The park was founded by Countess Ebba Margareta von Stenbock during the construction of Suuremõisa manor in 1755. The park was originally planned to be in the Baroque style, and the portions closest to the castle reflect this design. Later portions of the park were built in the English style. The oldest portions of the park, to the east behind the main building, are surrounded by a high wall topped with red roof tiles. Little remains of the walls to the west of the main building.
The main portion of the park is in front of the manor. The park is mostly level with the exception being a hill found between the two ponds. This hill was once topped by a small cottage known as “Babylon”. The name came from the locals mispronouncing the name of the adjacent “pavilion”. The ponds are spring fed and separate the park from the apple orchard. The ponds have been also used to raise fish. To the west of the castle, the Suuremõisa River flows through the park from north to south. A forest park stretches from the western banks of the river to the village of Salinõmme.
The park contains about fifty varieties of trees and shrubs, including Estonia’s tallest European Silver Fir whose height was measured to be in 2000, Estonia’s tallest Sitka Spruce , and Estonia’s tallest Japanese Larch . The largest European Ash is tall and in circumference. The park contains allees of oak, horse chestnut, and maple. White pine, Swiss pine, Balsam fir, Northern Oak, and White Spruce are also found in the park.
Outside the park boundaries lie several kilometers of Black Alder allees that delineate an old road towards the town of Käina.
Since 1959 the park has been under the protection of a nature conservancy.