The Estonian Road Museum in Varbuse
The winding Postal Road, lined with trees, will soon bring us to the courtyard of the Estonian Road Museum (about 1.4 km from Varbuse Manor to the Road Museum).
The Estonian Road Museum has been operating at Varbuse’s former Horse Postal Station since 2001.
The Varbuse Postal Station is the best-preserved Horse Postal Station Complex in Estonia. The stone and red brick Main Building of Varbuse Postal Station was built according by the standard design. The Complex consisted of five buildings: A Main Building, a Postal Couriers Living House, a Carriage Shed, a Stable, a Smithy-Sauna-Laundry. The Stable was designed for 33 horses. The buildings are interconnected by the stone and brick walls, with a square maintenance courtyard in the center. The buildings were completed in 1863, and the construction works were led by the master builder of Tartu, August Franz Königsmann. The Varbuse Postal Station was closed in 1931. In 1935–1977 located here the Varbuse Roadmaster’s Office.
The Estonian Road Museum is definitely one of the finest and most unique among Estonian museums. So, take your time and look around. In the main building of the Postal Station you can see how the Estonian road network has evolved since ancient times, explore old road maps, sit in a postal carriage, listen and look the old travel journals and chronicles from the time of the Estonian Republic before II World War. In the Engine Building and in the Yard can be see variety of road construction machinery and vehicles. Interesting is the historic Road Space in the winding trenches, featuring different types of roads: marsh road, gravel road, cobblestone road, black surface road and asphalt road.
In the former Stable of the Postal Station is the Varbuse Tea House, which serves delicious food and drinks. In Summer, the Tea House is open during the opening hours of the Museum and in the Winter by pre-order.
The Tea House contact: Phone: +372 50453, +372 5077453; varbuseteemaja@gmail.com;
www.soulfoodcatering.ee
Pilgrims can stay overnight
Right here, where the Road turns rights from the Postal Road, after the Road Museum, near to the Hurmi Village, by the Hurmi Lake, is a nice place to stay overnight in Savi Farm, where the Travelers are always welcome. Contact: Hurmi Village, Savi Farm. Eela Jää, phone: 5174470; 5147462; hurmiorg@gmail.com
By Daila Aas, in August, 2019
Sources
https://www.postitee.ee/teenusepakkujad/huvivaarsused/20-varbuse-postijaam-ja-eesti-maanteemuuseum&service=70
https://www.postitee.ee/avasta-postitee/postijaamad
https://register.muinas.ee/public.php?menuID=monument&action=view&id=23690
https://docplayer.me/31014574-Tartu-voru-postitee-ajaloolise-teeruumi-uuring.html
https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eesti_postijaamade_loend