The vestibule
and some other rooms in the main building, as well as some of the stoves
have retained their 18th-century appearance.
The park was named Kadriorg (Catherine’s Valley)
after the empress Catherine I. Most of the Russian rulers, from Peter’s
daughter Elizabeth, to the last Romanov emperor Nicholas II, have visited
this imperial summer residence.
From 1921 the Estonian Museum in Tallinn was situated
in the palace. In 1928 it was reorganized into the Art Museum of Estonia.
Several smaller buildings belong to the palace ensemble. Most of them
have been renovated by now. The 18th-century pavilion (Lusthaus) and
the guesthouse from the beginning of the 19th century house the restoration
workshops of the Art Museum of Estonia. In 1997 a new museum introducing
the private collection of Johannes Mikkel was opened in the former kitchen
building of the palace. The wooden guards’ house opposite the
gates of the palace that was originally built at the beginning of the
19th century has been completely restored.
The territory of the park that was planned together with the palace was originally over 100 hectares. Its central part will be restored as an Italian-French regular park. The Flower Garden behind the palace has been renovated after 18th-century examples. The Lower Garden in front of the palace is waiting for its turn.
Duration – 1.5 hours
ESTONIA
Holiday type:
