Voka Manor

The first records of Voka Manor date back to 1586. At that time, it was named after the village of Kollota, located in the same place, and owned by Jürgen Müller. In 1626, Müller's descendant Jacob Hastfer sold the manor to Johann Fock, a councilor of Narva. The manor derived its German name, Fockenhof, from the Fock family, from which the present Estonian name Voka was later derived.

In the 18th century, the manor changed hands numerous times. One of the most notable owners was the Englishwoman, Duchess of Kingston, Baroness Elizabeth Pierrepont (formerly Chudleigh), who began to introduce European agricultural techniques and practices to the estate. The manor was renamed Choudleigh after her maiden name. At that time, most of the manor buildings were wooden, but Peter von Wilken, who purchased the estate in 1806, began to construct stone buildings, some of which still survive today. It was during Wilken's time, in the 1820s, that the magnificent classical stone manor house was built. In the summer of 1817, on their way from Prussia to St. Petersburg, Russian Emperor Nicholas I and his wife stayed at the manor. In commemoration of this event, the initials "C. N. W." are carved on a rock by the sea. The main industries of the manor included livestock and poultry farming, horticulture, fishing, and forestry.

During World War I, there were plans to establish a nursing home for war veterans at the manor, but this never materialized. From 1925 to 1944, the main building of the manor housed the Voka Elementary School.

During World War II, the manor complex suffered extensive damage, with only the tower of the main building surviving, which was later reconstructed and used as a water tower. In 1949, when the Kaljurand collective farm was established, the heart of the manor became the center of the collective farm, several surviving outbuildings were renovated and used as farm buildings and residences. In 1982, a new office building was completed next to the former manor buildings.

Author: Madis Tuuder, translated with ChatGPT