Manor
In the village of Leebiku, there was once the Leebiku Manor, first established in 1531 when the manor was still named Abenkat. From the Middle Ages until the mid-17th century, the manor belonged to the Styrk family, who were a Baltic German noble family.
Watermill
The mill operated on the Õhne River, powered by water turbines. There, grain was processed, and both bread and animal feed were ground. Leebiku Mill also had an electric power station, which provided light to the mill, manor, town hall, dairy, and the three closest farms. Leebiku was the first village in Estonia to have electricity. In the later decades, Leebiku Mill was used for the wool industry. Wool was processed, and yarn was spun. The mill operated for the last time in the early 1990s.
Õhne River
The Õhne River has had several names throughout history: Õhne, Suislepa, Omuli, Omeli, and Ömel. The river was first mentioned in 1478 (as Omelsche hecke), hence its German name Ömel. According to one legend, the name of the Õhne River was once Ahne. This was because there was believed to be a water spirit (näkk) living in the river that was greedy for human lives. Every year, this greedy water spirit demanded a tribute in the form of drowned people. That’s why the river was called the Ahne River in folk tradition (as per Elma Mälk’s account).
The Õhne River is 103 kilometers long, originating from Lake Veisjärv and flowing into Lake Võrtsjärv. In the past, the river played a significant role as a waterway. It was also important for log rafting. In 1940, J. Kala, originally from Voore, shared memories with the Estonian Folklore Archives. He mentioned that about 30 years ago, many logs were cut from the forests and transported downstream to the banks of the Õhne River using sleds. So much so that from Tõrva to the Suislepa bridge, there were piles of logs along the riverbanks. When the river ice had melted and the water level dropped, the logs were pushed into the water and allowed to float downstream to Leebiku Mill. Raftsmen walked along both sides of the banks and used long pole hooks to push away those logs that had gotten stuck on the shore, hindering the logs’ progress. In the upper part of the Õhne River, the logs gathered in front of Leebiku Mill’s dam. Then, the floodgates were opened, and the logs were let loose, flowing freely downstream under the Suislepa bridge. There, the river was wider, and the current more direct. Log rafts were assembled there. The second raft was attached to the first, and so on. Sometimes, 40 to 50 rafts in a row were formed. The raftsmen lived in tents on the rafts. Once they crossed Lake Võrtsjärv, the flow of the Emajõgi River carried them to Tartu, where the logs were pulled from the water and transported to a sawmill. (Source: www.suislepa.ee/ajalugu/ohne-jogi/)
Watermill River House
Watermill River House was once a storage barn or old storage shed belonging to the manor’s watermill. The first documents related to Leebiku Watermill date back to 1894 when the current building was marked on the drawings.
From old documents, it is evident that the walls of the shed were made of logs, and the floor and ceiling were constructed from planks. This is why a portion of the current living room’s wall is made of logs, preserving a piece of the building’s history. Additionally, historical wooden beams have been incorporated into the interior design. During the restoration of the building, it was noticed that there were many bomb fragments in the logs, indicating that the structure survived World War II bombings and remained intact.
During the collective farming era, a woodworking workshop operated in the shed belonging to the mill. They produced simpler wooden products such as window frames, wooden doors, and more. The woodworking shop last operated in the 1990s and has since remained vacant.
In 2021, the woodworking shop was put up for sale and found a new owner who had a desire to breathe new life into the old building. After renovation, the building became a cozy accommodation known as Watermill River House.