Kesklinn - the center of Tallinn outside the Old Town - let's delve into the world of the Tallinn suburbs. As in Riga, they are extensive, even more diverse, and you can spend several days getting to know them. Let's go from east to west - from semi-resort Kadriorg and P And rity to the industrial Copley. Well, let's start the walk where we left off - at the Narva highway.
Kadriorg, or Yekaterinental, in translation means Katherine's Valley, but Catherine in this case is not the Second, but the First - the wife of Peter the Great, in girlhood a simple Latvian Martha Skavronskaya from. The emperor first came to the freshly conquered Revel in 1711, and unlike Riga, which was simply strategically irreplaceable, Peter fell in love with Revel. In 1714, he bought the small estate of Drenthal by the sea and undertook to build a palace there, until the completion of which, however, he did not live to see. Not far from the palace, in 1813, court adviser Georg Witte founded the Revel Waters resort with baths - and it was not about mineral water, but about treating with sea water, and for the next 20-30 years, when Riga's Jurmala was just emerging, there was one of the most popular sea resorts of the Russian Empire, which withered away in the middle of the 19th century, unable to withstand competition with the same Jurmala or Pernau. I even saw its history in more detail, and I even saw the abandoned wooden Witte bath (there is a photo at the link), passing in this area for, but I didn’t take a picture, which I regret - its days are generally numbered. Nevertheless, small boarding houses appeared there later, as for example "Villa Monrepos", in the 1920s an extremely vile place, about which the Tallinn (not Revel!) Russian poet Igor Severyanin wrote:
Meat ate meat, meat ate asparagus,
The meat ate fish and poured wine.
And having paid off with meat, in a semi-meat carriage
Suddenly it rolled towards the meat in a hat with a large feather.
The meat caressed the meat and gave itself to the meat.
And she created meat according to the rules of the earth.
The meat hurt, rotted and turned into a mass
Of the stinking decay characteristic of meat.
But my main walk was on another day, to be more precise - after, and although I didn’t drink, we still walked late the last day, and the general euphoria, as I noticed more than once, gives a good half of the alcohol effect. This is probably why I was lethargic in the morning and looked at Kadriorg rather poorly, missing a few iconic places. The tram from the station brought me to the final stop - to the former Sloboda, which originated as a settlement of palace servants:
Including its center - the house of the manager of the estate, by the way, the middle of the 19th century, although in appearance I did not give the 1920s so the 1910s. Now here is the museum of the writer Eduard Vilde:
Although the Revel resort itself did not take root, it gave impetus to the development of Sloboda, which turned into an area of suburban dachas:
Imperceptibly passing into the Kadriorg park. Here is a cafe at the entrance - on the back side of Weizenberg Street (that is, behind the back relative to the frame) there is another almost the same house occupied by the tourist information center:
Mandatory pond with a gazebo on the island, dug under Peter:
A playground and a nice wooden building with a boulder at the porch - here in 1936-38, by order of Päts (like any dictator, he was the best friend of all children), a Children's Park was arranged here. Continuity is preserved - in the children's kursaal is now a children's museum.
If I had walked further along this alley, I would have come to several more interesting objects. First of all - "Peter's house", an outbuilding of the original estate, where Peter and Catherine came while the palace was being built. There is also Christian Frese's cotton manufactory (1780, heavily rebuilt), now the Russian Museum of Estonia and on the hill a luxurious modern building of the Kumu Art Museum. Here is Peter's own house, a photo from Wikipedia - here the emperor surpassed himself in asceticism, but because he was great, he did not disdain to live in a house the size of a peasant's hut:
I went the other way, past the early 19th century gardener's house:
And he went directly to the Catherine Palace (1718-27) - the most modest of the palaces of the Russian emperors and the most magnificent of the Estonian manors:
Three unplastered bricks in the wall, according to legend, were personally laid by Peter:
The best view of the palace is from the back, near the French park:
"Neptune" is an obvious guest from Peterhof, who lost the gilding along the way.
Although I liked these weeping lions more:
After Catherine, the palace was empty. Under Anna Ioannovna, park decorations up to the phonatons were taken to Peterhof, and a barracks was placed in the palace. But the estate remained in royal ownership, and was thoroughly restored and landscaped for the arrivals of monarchs - first Elizabeth Petrovna (under whom the name Ekaterinental appeared), then Catherine II, then Alexander I, and in general, Kadriorg finally came to life under Nicholas I, when he became a summer residence Estonian governor, where, however, the St. Petersburg monarchs came from time to time. Here, in 1866, the III Ostsee Song Festival was held (not to be confused with the Estonian, the Germans sang here, and the first holiday was held back in 1857).
In general, since the time of the first independence, except for 1929-46, Kadriorg has been the patrimony of an art museum: here is the palace itself, and KUMU, but for example, since 1994, a private collection of Johannes Mikkel has been living in the palace kitchen, donated to the museum.
And everything would be fine, but in 1929 the Swedish king granted Tallinn. The state elder Päts decided that it was not worthwhile to accommodate such a guest in a hotel, and ordered the palace to be restored, which had to be thoroughly reconstructed from the inside, since it had neither heating nor sewerage, which the Russian architect Vladovsky coped with perfectly, without violating the Baroque appearance. The museum was thrown almost out into the street, and did not return to the palace - Päts decided to keep the residence for himself, and in 1938 he built another palace above the terrace with fountains. After that, the Nazi Reichskommissar managed to live there, and since 1946 the museum returned to Kadriorg. Now a balance has been established - a museum in the Catherine Palace, a president in the Presidential Palace, and even a guard of honor at the gate stands:
And from the lower terrace of the Catherine Palace, a straight alley leads to the sea - in its perspective, another symbol of Tallinn, a monument to the battleship "Mermaid":
Launched in 1866 in St. Petersburg, the Rusalka did not participate in major wars, did not perform special feats (although Admiral Makarov served on it), in 1892 it became a coast guard ship, and on September 7, 1893 on the way to Helsinki perished in the same way as after 101 years and 20 days the ferry "Estonia" - was sunk by this specific Baltic storm, extremely insidious - sudden, short and deadly strong. It turned out even worse (although, of course, with a smaller number of victims): none of the 177 sailors on board survived, and the battleship sank so completely that it was found only in 2003. In general, such a disaster "Kursk" of the 19th century.
Well, the monument is the creation of Amandus Adamson, the main memorializer of sunken ships in the Russian Empire (the monument in Sevastopol is also his creation), in my opinion one of the most beautiful in his era. The inscription on the pedestal: "Russians do not forget their martyr heroes", but I was more impressed by the list of all those who died on the pylons of the fence.
And behind the monument is a long beach. On the left - the old city, on the right - lonely old houses under the Great Ledge and new buildings on it:
Next is the military memorial in Maarjamäe, dedicated to everyone who fought on the side of the Soviet regime in Estonia: for example, the obelisk is dedicated to the Ice Campaign (the transfer of ships from Reval and Helsingfors to the red Kronstadt). The popular name is "Pinocchio's grave", and under the Soviets, Russian veterans gathered here, and not at the "Estonian" Bronze Soldier (I told his story in the last part). The paradox is that the first Russian battle was lost here - the Blackheads (military merchants) somewhere here stopped the advance of one of the detachments of Ivan the Terrible. I went to the memorial - it takes about 15 minutes to walk to it:
Although the beach looks tempting on Wikimapia, up close it is uncomfortable and littered, and in some places it is completely littered with smelly algae up to the knee. On the horizon - St. Petersburg ferry:
The Olympic Yacht Club, on the other hand, stands proudly on the spit of the Pirita River, and I did not come close to it. The Olympics is amazing - in addition to its small part, sailing disciplines for 6 sets of medals, Tallinn received: Gorhall, a yacht club, a TV tower (it is also in this area), a 95-meter hotel, a major reconstruction of everything and everything ... Here you will inevitably think - maybe the Sochi billions have been spent on the cause? Surprisingly, the Brazilians won the Tallinn regattas.
Then it was worth taking a walk upstream of the Pirita, where there are all sorts of old villas, elements of the fortress of Peter the Great, all sorts of parks on the Great Ledge and finally the Forest Cemetery, where personalities like Päts or Ots are buried ... but I was too lazy. Behind the bridge over Pirita is a rare pre-war bus station in the world (1940), now a regular bus stop:
Already Soviet in time, but pre-war in terms of architect (which often happens in the Baltics) former cinema:
Administration of the Pirita area (1980) and the highway leaving through the pine trees on the seashore:
But the final destination of my walk was the most impressive (or even the only?) monument of the Middle Ages outside the Old Town - Brigitte Monastery:
The turret and the cemetery fence of the 17th century hide inside the grindy ruins of a dolomite temple, which feels like the largest in the Baltics. In fact, of course, only according to the sensations - the length of the cathedral is 60 meters, the width is 27, the height of the portal is 35, but it looks prohibitively gigantic.
The grandiose ruins of the cathedral (they are also on the title frame) and the foundations-cellars of other monastic buildings - here without comment:
The most incomprehensible contraption in one of the neighboring yards:
And the New Brigitte Monastery, founded in 2001 - all the materials are from Estonia, the bells are from Rome, and the first sisters are from Latin America...
In general, as already mentioned, in Piritu (by the way, the locals never decline such names, and this seems to be a common property of the "Finno-Ugric Russian" - try declining Sortavala or Pitkyaranta in the presence of their inhabitants!) It makes sense somehow on another visit return: here is the Forest Cemetery, and the valley of the Pirita River, and the TV tower (excursion there -. Gorhall, Rotterman quarter, Narva highway.
. Business center, Tõnismägi and railway station.
Kadriorg and Pirita.
Veerenni and Juhkentali.
Kassisaba and Kristiine.
Kalamaja.
Flight harbour.
Northern Tallinn.
Nõmme.
on Janov's night.
Kadriorg is considered a prestigious district of Tallinn. The calm area is famous for its rich history and the main attractions - Kadriorg Palace and Park. Now on its territory is the residence of the Estonian president and a number of embassies of other states. The preserved wooden houses are also of interest. Prominent figures of Estonian literature and art lived in them in the 1920s and 1930s.
Story
The construction of the palace and park ensemble is an initiative of Peter I, who founded a military harbor in Reval (the former name of Tallinn). The king liked these places overlooking the sea, so he decided to create his residence here. The complex was named in honor of the wife of Peter the Great - Catherine I, initially it was called Ekaterinenthal (which translates from German as the valley of Catherine), later the Estonians remade it into their usual Kadriorg. The lack of extra funds to finance the maintenance of the palace in the 19th century led to the need to rent out some areas, for example, private houses began to be built on them.
Soon the area became a place of concentration of suburban dachas - the proximity of the sea affected. Natural resources - healing sea air, a green area with a vast park - prompted the idea of organizing a whole balneological resort with bathing salons, boarding houses and restaurants. However, already in the 1860s, the previously fashionable resort ceased to compete with the more favorable climate of the Black Sea coast; recreation there became more affordable thanks to the construction of railways.
The bathing salon was rebuilt as a summer casino for naval officers, and then the building was completely demolished - now there is little resemblance to this page in the history of Kadriorg. Gradually, the territory of the park turns from a place of rest for the nobility into a place of pastime for ordinary residents. Today, Kadriorg is an area for comfortable living and a popular tourist destination.
Attractions
The tourist part of Kadriorg is famous for its palace and park complex, which houses historical buildings and museums.
Kadriorg park
The arrangement of the park began in 1718, it consisted of three levels. When creating a regular park, decorative techniques borrowed from different countries were used. The Italian style was traced in the arrangement of the terraces, the Dutch style in the improvement of the canals, while the flower compositions gravitated towards Russian traditions. In the 19th century, a landscape park began to be built, consisting of various types of deciduous trees, boulders and klint. During the Second World War, the park was badly damaged, it took several years to restore it. Today it is a wonderful place for outdoor recreation.
The regular park adjoining the palace is considered to be its real decoration. Its bright flowerbeds and bizarre landscape compositions are admirable. During the reconstruction, a folk park was also created - a place for recreation and holding concerts and other entertainment events. In 2011, the arrangement of the Japanese Garden began in Kadriorg, it was based on plants, stones and water. A Japanese landscape designer worked on the creation. The garden shows all the versatility of the beauty of nature. The original idea to place only Japanese plants here had to be abandoned - not all of them were able to adapt to the local climate.
There are several monuments in the park, among them the monument dedicated to the memory of the sunken battleship Rusalka stands out for its majesty and expressiveness.
Castle
Peter I, known for his irrepressible energy, decided to build his summer residence in Revel. The development of the palace project was entrusted to the Italian architect Nicolo Michetti, other foreign and Russian architects also took part in the construction. The king actively participated in the process of creation and even laid some bricks in the foundation of the building, the builders decided to leave some of those bricks unplastered in memory of this.
Peter expressed his thoughts about the interior decoration of the palace, according to his design, the main hall, richly decorated with stucco molding, was created. This hall is the only one preserved the way the king intended it to be. The rest have undergone significant changes over time. Now the palace houses an art museum, which presents a collection of works of Western European and Russian art.
Museums
In memory of his stay in these places, Peter managed to save the house, where he stayed with Catherine I. There is a museum in which you can see things that belonged to the tsar and his wife, and learn more about the historical period of the reign of Peter the Great.
The Eduard Vilde Museum is housed in the former house of the Kadriorg castellan. Here, in the apartment on the first floor, the famous writer lived the last 6 years of his life. Visitors will be interested to see the preserved interiors and get acquainted with the life and work of the writer.
Another museum on the territory of Kadriorg bears the name of Mikkel, a collector who donated his collections to create a museum. The collection includes works by European artists of the 17th-18th centuries, graphic works and porcelain items.
The modern building houses KUMU, the main building of the country's art museum. Here you can see works of Estonian art from the period of the beginning of the 18th century to the end of the 20th century, and there is also an exhibition of contemporary art for visitors.
Another interesting place is the museum-library of the park, which houses an exposition dedicated to the history of the park. The library stores specialized literature on landscape and garden architecture.
There is also a children's museum in Kadriorg, it is called Miyamilla. In it, children get acquainted with the world around them in a fun way.
How to get there
You can get to the palace and park complex by trams No. 1, 3, you need to get off at the Kadriorg stop. You can also get to the stop "J. Poska" on buses No. 19, 29, 35, 44, 51, 60, 63.
You can also get to Kadriorg by taxi, there are services in Tallinn: Amigo Takso, Tallink Takso, Tulika Takso, Uber, Yandex. Taxi.
Kadriorg: video
Address: Estonia, Tallinn
Start of construction: 1718
Completion of construction: 1727
Architect: Nicolo Michetti
Coordinates: 59°26"18.4"N 24°47"29.3"E
Short description
Only 10 minutes by car from Old Tallinn, and the tourist finds himself in the prestigious seaside district of Kadriorg.
Palace and park ensemble Kadriorg from a bird's eye view
Thanks to the fresh sea air and the beautiful park, Kadriorg has long been a favorite place for walks among citizens and guests of the city. Wooden houses of the 19th century and luxurious villas peacefully coexist in the Kadriorg ensemble, but the Kadriorg Palace (Ekaterinental) is rightfully recognized as the main attraction of the area.
The history of the palace dates back to the time of the Northern War (1700 - 1721), when Peter I conquered the Estonian lands and ordered to build a mini-Versailles for his wife Catherine. On July 25, 1718, Peter I, together with the court architect Nicola Michetti, measured the site for the foundations, determined the composition of the new palace and gardens. Tradition says that the Russian Tsar himself laid the first stone in the foundation of the building.
At that time, Michetti was up to his neck in St. Petersburg affairs, completing the construction of the Monplaisir, Marley pavilions in Peterhof, the Hermitage and the palace in Strelna, so the tsarist architect sent his deputy, M. G. Zemtsov, to Revel. In 1721 - 1725, Zemtsov led the construction of Kadriorg, guided by the drawings and instructions of Michetti. By the time of the last visit of Peter I to Tallinn (1724), the interiors of the palace had not yet been completed, finishing work was completed only after the death of the king. Kadriorg was rarely used as a royal residence. While the construction of the main building was going on, the royal couple lived for some time in the side pavilions. Later, all Russian emperors who visited Tallinn stayed at the Kadriorg Palace. Initially, the palace was called Ekaterinenthal (German: Catherine's Valley), but the townspeople changed the name to the Estonian style - Kadriorg ("Kadri Valley").
The main hall of Kadriorg - imperial luxury in the Baroque style
Like Italian villas The Kadriorg ensemble consists of a palace built on a hill and two pavilions. The facade of the main building is decorated with a projecting risalit with a central portal leading to the vestibule. A cenotaph with the image of the Russian coat of arms and an anchor is installed in the vestibule wall. In the middle of the slab is an engraved text in Latin, the translation of which reads: "Peter I, by God's grace, the Tsar of All Rus', ordered to build a house in Reval in July 1718 on this site."
Also noteworthy in the vestibule are three replica sculptures: Venus de Milo (work by G. Voss, 1859) and two lions by A. What, similar to those in the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rome. The suite of palace rooms occupies two floors. The main pride of the palace is the Great or White Hall, richly decorated with stucco. The lower part of its walls is decorated with pilasters crowned with openwork capitals with volutes and flower wreaths, while the upper part is rhythmically divided by decorative spatulas.
The ceiling is decorated with picturesque plafonds, framed with stucco decoration in the form of leaves, shells and flowers. The central plafond painting “Diana and Actaeon” captures the moment of the myth when Actaeon spied on the bathing of Diana and her nymphs, provoking the wrath of the goddess. The Great Hall is furnished with fireplaces, richly decorated with vases with flowers and busts, and above them, on the walls, against the background of stucco scrolls, cartouches topped with crowns with the Latin letters "E" and "R" - the initials of Peter and Catherine, are placed.
Kadriorg park and the house of Peter I
Ponds, fountains with pavilions, fanciful flower beds and a rose garden are equipped in Kadriorg Park. Alleys lead from the palace, and open-air concerts are held on an island in the middle of the Swan Pond in summer.
In 2011, Japanese landscape architect Masone Sone created a Japanese garden in the park with rhododendrons, azaleas and irises. In the immediate vicinity of the Kadriorg Palace are the residence of the President of Estonia, the house-museum of Peter I and the Kumu Art Museum, covering Estonian art from the 18th century to the present day. Peter's two-story house is furnished in the spirit of Peter's times, the tsar's personal belongings have been preserved - a table with a map of the Baltic laid out on it, a model of the Shlisselburg ship, two secretary cabinets, etc. In 1714, Peter I bought this house with the lands adjacent to it from a widow landowner Drenteln for 3500 thalers. While the Kadriorg Palace was being built, the All-Russian Emperor was content with a modest burgher dwelling.
Returning to his residence a few years later, Peter I expressed surprise that the people of Reval did not go to the new park. The guard officer reported to the tsar that the commandant forbade the townspeople to roam around the tsar's possessions. The very next day in Tallinn, to drum roll, the imperial will was announced: all residents of the city are allowed to visit Kadriorg and enjoy its beauties.
Kadriorg Park (Tallinn, Estonia): detailed description, address and photo. Opportunities for sports and recreation, infrastructure, cafes and restaurants in the park. Reviews of tourists.
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One of the masterpieces of the Baroque era, the Kadriorg Palace and Park Ensemble was created by order of Peter I for his wife Catherine. The palace was designed by the architect Niccolo Michetti in the style of Italian villas. To this day, the large hall, decorated with rich stucco and ceiling paintings, as well as the vestibule and some tiled stoves, have retained their former appearance.
To this day, the large hall, decorated with rich stucco and ceiling paintings, as well as the vestibule and some tiled stoves, have retained their former appearance.
Since 1921, the building of the palace housed the collection of the Estonian Art Museum, and since 1929 it served as the residence of the head of the Estonian government.
The restoration workshops of the art museum are located in the palace guest house and the park pavilion. Opposite the main gate is a guard house, an ice cellar and a kitchen that houses the private collection of Johannes Mikkel. The park adjacent to the palace is characterized by the severity of lines and the simplicity of geometric shapes, and together it is a miniature Versailles!
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Kadriorg park
The famous Kadriorg Park is perhaps one of the main attractions. Numerous tourists come to the capital in order to look into this stunning beauty and its park complex, admire its Swan Pond, stroll through the Upper Garden with a magnificent flower garden and fountains, and see the famous Tallinn.
Around the park, which has become one of the most favorite places of the Tallinners themselves, there is a historical district bearing the same name. The famous writer Eduard Vilde once lived in one of its unique wooden houses.
Kadriorg - the beautiful valley of Catherine
At the beginning of the 18th century, the Russian Tsar Peter I decided to build a summer residence near the sea for his wife Catherine. Construction, led by the Italian architect Niccolo Michetti, began in 1718 and ended only 10 years later. They say that Peter the Great himself laid the first stone in the building of the palace. He also participated in the planning of the future park.
True, neither the emperor himself nor his wife Catherine saw the park complete. Therefore, many of Peter's ideas remained unfulfilled. But, nevertheless, all the royal people stayed here during their visits to.
Palace garden in the style of the 18th century
The most beautiful park Kadriorg consists of two gardens - the Upper, built in the same style as Tsarskoye Selo and Peterhof, and the Lower. Natural park landscape - numerous meadows with stunningly beautiful flower beds, well-groomed alleys and gardens. Among visitors, the most popular place is the Swan Pond with a gazebo on the water and black swans. The sundial installed nearby is also of interest.
In the backyard of the palace and park complex there is a beautiful Flower Garden. Next to it is the residence of the current President of Estonia.
A footpath has been laid from the royal palace to the sea, which leads to one of the most beautiful Tallinn park sculptures - the famous 16-meter one.
