Raadi manor
Raadi manor, located in the immediate vicinity of Tartu, stood out among others for its rich art collection, library and salon evenings. Several generations of the manor owners von Liphart were important mediators of the communication between the University of Tartu and other local Baltic German-educated circles and the St. Petersburg nobility. Raadi time of glory was the first half of the 19th century, when it was popular to communicate with famous musicians and artists. Tsar Paul I's wife Maria Fyodorovna was also fascinated by the park of Raadi manor.At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, a deterioration of Baltic German manor culture can be observed in Estonia. One reason was probably its relative closure. In the case of Raadi manor, this tendency is also noticeable: the former sense of style disappeared, for example, it hasn’t been taken in the account while the extensive reconstruction of the castle at the turn of the century.
The Lipharts left Estonia during the First World War and later took away the most valuable part of their collection. The manor became the property of the University of Tartu. In 1922–1944 it was at the disposal of the Estonian National Museum.
In the autumn of 1940, more than 100 ha of the land of Raadi was used to expand the Soviet airport, in 1944 the castle caught fire during the bombing.