Voka: Manor History and Landscape

Voka can be understood through its landscape and several historical milestones. The protected park, Voka Reservoir, the manor and the post station established in 1712 provide different points of reference when choosing a place based on its local and architectural history. The information spans from the first record of the manor to facilities from the Soviet era. This creates a picture of landscape, manor history, transport and later settlement development, rather than reducing the place to a single attraction.

Park and Reservoir

The protected Voka mõisa park is located in Voka alevik. The environmental register lists it as protected and places it there; its area is given as 17.5 hectares. That is equivalent to 175,000 square metres and gives a concrete sense of its size. The area figure and boundaries may be revised by the responsible authority. The protection status, location and area measure describe different aspects: the classification identifies the protection, the place name indicates the location, and the hectare figure gives the registered extent.

Voka Reservoir was created when a river near the Voka manor complex was dammed. Its area is given as 3.3 hectares and, according to other figures, 3.6 hectares; its shoreline is listed as 1,881 metres or 1,901 metres. The area figures are smaller than the registered park area, but refer to a different landscape feature. Area and shoreline length are also different measures: hectares indicate area, while metres indicate shoreline length. The ruins of a former vodka distillery and a former grain mill remain at the dam. This makes it possible to consider the creation of the reservoir alongside the surviving traces of earlier uses.

Manor History and Post Station

Voka Manor was first mentioned in 1586 under the name Kollota and comprised seven haken of land. A haken is a historical unit of land measurement. Another dated reference is the post station: it was established in Voka in 1712 on the Saint Petersburg–Tartu–Riga road. The two details record different aspects of the place’s history. The year 1586 marks the manor’s first mention, including its historical name and land measure; 1712 marks the establishment of the post station on the named road. Together, they place Voka in time through both its manor history and its postal connection.

Architecture and Settlement Development

Voka Manor’s manor house was completed in the first years of the 19th century and is considered an outstanding example of Neoclassical architecture. The date gives the timeframe for its completion; the term “Neoclassical” describes its architectural character. Thus, the building is associated with both a specific construction period and an art-historical classification.

Facilities built during the Soviet era are also part of Voka’s historical settlement development: a full-size stadium, a sports building, an indoor shooting range and a hunting shooting range. This construction phase expands the picture beyond the manor, manor house and post station to include different sports and shooting facilities. Those comparing travel destinations based on their local history can therefore view the manor’s history and later building developments as distinct layers from different periods.

Discover more travel destinations: Pühajõe.

For the broader travel overview: Toila Parish.