Plans to restore Kadriorg Palace baroque garden resurface
Kadriorg Park in Tallinn is planning to restore the baroque garden dating back to the era of Russian Tsar Peter I in front of the palace. To make room for the project, hundreds of old trees will need to be removed.
The Kadriorg Park administration is hoping to take on an ambitious project: to restore the lower palace garden in the baroque style, as it was originally designed during the reign of Peter I in the 18th century. Around 20 years ago, the park's upper section was renovated in the same style, though that area emphasizes flowerbeds more strongly.
"Since we still have authentic drawings from 1718–1719, we would definitely like to use them here as well. For now, you can already get an idea from the restored canals and the first four-row alleys," said landscape architect Kersti Lootus.
"So in that sense, people can already see just how big of a task we're talking about," Lootus added.
According to future plans, the area in front of the palace will be covered with floral carpets, while further back, clipped hedges will form private chambers. To make this possible, more than 100 trees will need to be cut down.
In baroque gardens, hedges are of varying heights, Lootus explained, and free-form trees may also be placed inside the hedge chambers — only they must be in proper proportion.
"They shouldn't be overgrown. Right now, we clearly see overgrown trees here that no longer connect to people in any way — just a bare, tall trunk with a few nice branches somewhere at the top," said Lootus.
The reconstruction is planned in several stages. First, the paths, utility lines, lighting and fountains will be renovated. During this stage, the trees will remain in place. Although the park's greenery has been hit by several diseases — the most well-known being Dutch elm disease — dendrologist Olev Abner said that while the trees vary in health, only a few are actually hazardous and would require removal.
"Of course, every large tree has value in a city, but if there's ever a place where a baroque garden should be restored, then this is it," Abner said.
"A baroque park clearly adds value to the palace. They could have just left us with beautiful baroque ruins here, but someone put money into it and restored the palace," he added.
The idea of restoring Kadriorg Park's baroque section has been discussed for years. While the vision is set, its implementation depends on investments amounting to several million euros and the will of Tallinn's city government.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski, Mari Peegel
