Kuremaa

Kuremaa is a small borough (alevik) in Jõgeva Parish, Jõgeva County in eastern Estonia. It lies 10 km from Jõgeva, near the northern shore of Lake Kuremaa, the 11th largest lake in Estonia. Kuremaa features an estate that was owned by the von Oettingen family until the early 20th century. Part of the estate's manor house is now a museum, its windmill is a popular landmark, and its terraced gardens reach down to the shore of Lake Kuremaa.

History

The first known mention of Kuremaa is in historical records dated 1582, where it is referred to as Korymek. Other names used in historical texts include Kurremois, Jensel, and Jenselhof. According to Herbert Ligi, a noted Estonian historian, Johann Wrangel established a manor at Kuremaa in the middle of the 16th century. The region fell to the Polish at the end of the Livonian War and the manor was passed to Andreas Chotkowsky, but later returned to the Wrangel family when Fabian Wrangel bought it in 1598. The manor farm went through a number of possessions in the following centuries, and during its most successful periods supported a large number of peasants.