Kernu manor was the former part of the Kohatu manor, which, on August 31, 1637, the guardianship of Queen Kristina confessed to Johann von Neukirch’s daughter Magdalena, who married Johann von Ulrich. From 1663, Magdalena von Ulrich, the widow of the mansion owner, and their children shared the estate. From 1671, only the son Ewert managed the estate, who in March 1680 pledged the manor to Diedrich Hasenkrug (Hirschberg).
The mansion (Klein Kohatt) was seized from Diedrich von Hirschberg on October 15. 1688, but was still left to the former owner for rent. Diedrich v. Hirschberg’s widow, Anna, remarried in 1708 to Rötgert Johann von Wrangel. Since serving in the general Kruse’s Royal regiment, the son of Diet v. Hirschberg, Nikolai, captured on 1709 on the Dneper river, died in Tobolsk and Rötgert Johann’s son from first marriage, Otto Wilherm v. Wranger, abandoned his right to inherit, in 1729, the mansion remained in the estate of Berend Johann v. Wartmann, Põllküla and Pikaküla mansion owner, the husband of the sister of Margaretha Juliane (listed as owner in 1733). Berend Johann v. Wartmann’s inheritor was his only son, Friedrich Johann, but by 1744, the mansion was already an estate of his widow, Agneta Helene v. Wartmann (snd. Derfelden). Their son, the highest court appraiser, Berend Johann, sold the domain on 25. III, 1784, on an auction together with Kohatu manor for 28 000 silver plaques to Count Berend Heinrich Tiesenhausen, the county counsellor and two terms office head of the Estonian Knight’s Chief, while settling himself and his family to a more modest Põllküla mansion that belonged to his grandfather.
According to the inheritance agreement, on the 2nd of August 1810, between count Tiesenhausen’s daughter, baroness Anna Dorothea Ungern-Sternbergs husband, baron Bernhard Heinrich Conrad Ungern-Sternberg and the sister of the latter, countess Anna Dorothea Bobrinsky, sir Heinrich Conrad Ungern-Sternberg inherited the estate. The manors were valued at 60.000 banknotes.
Based on the inheritance agreement on 7th of March,1853 between the kids, the widow, Natalie, of Bernard Heinrich Conrad Ungern-Sternberg, and the sister of the latter, the owner of the estates, which were now valued at 45.700 silver plaques, became the son, Alexei, from who his older brother, Theodor, inherited the states later on when they were valued at 60.000 silver plaques.
On the public sale on March 5, 1863, the mansion was acquired by Hermann Ferdinand Gotthard von Rosenthal, whose widow, Olga Cäcilie Justine Viktoria (ed. baroness Rosen), sold the premises to counsel Ernst von Kotzebuel on the 5th of June, 1880. He founded a family cemetery on the island in the artificial lake in front of Kernu manor. On April 28, 1908, he sold his premises to Tõnis Saarmann, who then decided to sell the estate to Edgar Schmidt on September 30, 1911. Nikolai Wrangell, general-major and baron of Luua, bought the premises on March 16, 1917. The cousin of Nikolai Wrangell, baron Peter von Wrangell, became known as one of the leading generals of the Civil War and later on as a military leader of monarchist emigrants.
The Complex
At the end of the 18th century, when the manor belonged to the Tiesenhausen’s, the manors center was officially built. Baron Ungern-Sternberg rebuilt the manor in classical style during the years 1810-1813. The architect of the building is thought to be Carl Ludwig Engel.
In the center of the building there is a portico with four Ionic style pillars and a triangular porticoes, in the middle of the back of the manor, there is a half rotunda leaning on the four rounded pillars. In the past, the building also had long wing galleries, which ended at the ends of the two story buildings, unfortunately, nowadays, the have been destroyed.
For decades, there was an elderly home in the former manor, until in 2013, the building was acquired by a public limited company Evore. The extensive renovations begun and today, the Kernu manor café Ludvig is open at the wing of the main building. The complex is planned to be restored in the former beauty and to be opened for the public use together with a hotel, seminar-, conference center and a restaurant.
From the neighboring buildings, the distillery has been destroyed. A stable, a barn, a carriage house, and a partially preserved mill will be renovated.