Andrei Dvorjaninov — The Schloss Fall © European Hotel Awards 2026
BOARD’S CHOICE 2026 — Heritage restored as a living European experience
The European Hotel Awards have named The Schloss Fall at Keila-Joa Historic Castle of the Year 2026. The distinction recognises a restoration project in which architecture, landscape, accommodation and cultural life have been brought back together without reducing the estate to a museum setting.
Represented by co-owners Andrei Dvorjaninov and Margus Kuklane, the property demonstrates a central principle of heritage hospitality: preservation becomes most meaningful when an important historic building is able to remain used, inhabited and socially relevant.
Historic Castle of the Year 2026
The Schloss Fall — Keila-Joa, Estonia
Represented by Andrei Dvorjaninov & Margus Kuklane, Co-Owners
Why the European Hotel Awards selected The Schloss Fall
The present castle dates from 1833. After periods of decline, an ambitious revival began from 2010, requiring attention not only to the building itself but to interiors, furnishings, parkland and the wider estate. For the Board, the quality of this restoration is inseparable from the decision to give the castle a contemporary purpose.
Since its reopening, the estate has combined hospitality with museum, event and cultural functions. This mixed use was considered a strength: historic architecture remains visible and authoritative, yet guests are invited to experience the property rather than observe it from a distance.
The Schloss Fall has been restored as a living heritage estate rather than a static monument © The Schloss Fall
An intentionally intimate hospitality offer
Accommodation remains deliberately limited, with five suites in the main castle and fourteen Deluxe rooms in the Manor House. Event facilities, a seminar room, a private chapel and private dining possibilities give the estate additional functions without changing its residential scale.
The Board considered this intimacy important. The small number of rooms allows historic interiors, furniture, views and the surrounding park to remain central to the stay. Heritage is not applied as a theme around the guest experience; it provides the framework for it.
Restored interiors allow the history of Schloss Fall to remain present within contemporary hospitality © The Schloss Fall
Architecture and landscape treated as one heritage ensemble
Keila-Joa gives the property an exceptional natural setting. Parkland, gardens and the nearby waterfall form part of the identity of the estate and reinforce the relationship between the castle and its historic landscape.
The European Hotel Awards recognised the project for maintaining this larger perspective. The distinction is not based simply on the age or appearance of the building, but on a coherent approach in which conservation, hospitality, nature and cultural activity reinforce one another.
The limited accommodation offer preserves the residential character of The Schloss Fall © The Schloss Fall
The meaning of Historic Castle of the Year 2026
Historic Castle of the Year 2026 recognises The Schloss Fall as an example of European heritage given a viable and hospitable future. Under Andrei Dvorjaninov and Margus Kuklane, restoration has respected the identity of the estate while returning it to active use.
The Award was presented within the eighth edition of the European Hotel Awards, held on 28 September 2026 at the Grand Hotel del Mare Resort & Spa in Bordighera, Italy.
Official 2026 laureate film
The Schloss Fall — Historic Castle of the Year 2026
Keila-Joa Schloss Fall
Pargi allee 5, Keila-Joa alevik
Lääne-Harju vald, Harju maakond 76701, Estonia
Tel. +372 56288287
Internet: schlossfall.com
Discover the Main Awards dedicated to excellence across European hospitality and visit the Hall of Fame to explore previous laureates.
Tags: Andrei Dvorjaninov, Awards Insights, Estonia, European Hotel Awards, European Hotel Awards 2026, heritage hospitality, Historic Castle of the Year 2026, Keila-Joa, Margus Kuklane, The Schloss Fall
