History of the manor

The manor was first mentioned in 1528, when the Bishop of Saare-Lääne, Georg von Tiesenhausen, granted it as a fief to Heinrich Köpken. At that time, the manor was located in the Tagavere district of Sandla parish within the Püha congregation.

In 1550, the manor became the property of Saaremaa provost Diedrich Behr, who, a few years later, also acquired land in the Sandla parish that had previously belonged to the Tölsen family. Upon merging these holdings, the manor grew to a size of 30 hides of land and was named Tõlluste (in German, Töllist) after the Tölsens.

In 1561, Duke Magnus granted the Tõlluste Manor, along with the Kuske farmstead, to his chamberlain Johann von Taube (also known as Johan Due; deceased 1609), who was the lord of Roela Manor, as a hereditary estate for descendants of both genders.

In 1590, Johann von Taube sold the Tõlluste Manor for 9,000 Reichstalers to the governor of Saaremaa, Matthias Budde (1550–1591). According to the agreement, the Kuske farmstead remained in the use of Heinrich von Ungern for another six years. Shortly after, Matthias Budde passed away, and the manor stayed in his descendants' possession until 1685, when Johann Budde died.

On April 8, 1685, the manor was acquired through auction by Johann von Vietinghoff, the owner of Sandla Manor and a councilor, who had also owned Sääre Manor until 1665. In 1704, the manor was seized by creditors due to debts.

Following the Great Northern War, Otto Friedrich von Vietinghoff (1692–1777) repurchased the manor for his family at an auction in 1735. However, on May 17, 1788, Otto Friedrich von Vietinghoff’s son, assessor Lorenz Gustav von Vietinghoff, sold the manor for 60,000 rubles to collegial assessor Heinrich Nicolas von Güldenstuble and partially to Georg Friedrich von Saß (1751–1810), who also owned Kasti Manor between 1734 and 1810.

In 1789, assessor and later Saaremaa marshal Georg Friedrich von Saß (1751–1810) fully acquired the manor.

On April 29, 1811, the Tõlluste Manor was inherited by his son, assessor Ferdinand Alexander von Saß (1794–1873), as part of the division of von Saß’s estate, valued at 62,000 rubles. From June 10, 1853, the von Saß family had the right to bear the title of Baron of the Russian Empire. In 1873, ownership of the manor passed to Baron Eduard von Saß (born 1828), and later to Baron Robert von Saß.

Between 1904 and 1908, the manor was owned by the von Sengbusch family, but it was used as a legacy manor by Baron von Nolcken.

From 1908 to 1918, the manor remained in the possession of the von Sengbusch family, with the manor leased to Wolf von Buhrmeister.

In addition to its architectural ensemble, an important aspect of the Tõlluste Manor is the pristine nature surrounding it, which enables the cultivation of plants needed for the production of cosmetic products. The manor is encircled by a picturesque park that features old oaks, apple trees, willows, grey walnut trees, and juniper valleys. The manor also has nearby fields used for growing various plants. The plants are traditionally dried in a stone building with a thatched roof dating back to the 16th century. The first plants cultivated on the farm were cornflower, chamomile, marigold, and white sweet clover. The first harvest was collected in the summer of 2016.