The Kadriorg branch of the Tallinn Central Library will close temporarily along with the museum. However, it is not clear if the library, as much as anything a reading room with facilities for children, will return to the current address after renovation work is done, or whether it will solely be used as a museum.

The library has occupied two wings on the ground floor of the A.H. Tammsaare Museum (A.H. Tammsaare majamuuseum) at Koidula 12a since the early 2000s.

As part of the temporary arrangements, while renovation work is ongoing, the library is to be rehoused in a temporary address inside the Kadriorg business center, at Narva maantee 63.

Maarja Vaino, director of the Tammsaare House Museum and the Tallinn literary center, said the renovation has been long awaited, as the wooden building is in a very poor condition and needs a complete overhaul. "We are preparing to announce the construction tender and indeed hope that we can sign the contract during the first quarter of 2026," Vaino told ERR.

The building must be completely emptied for this purpose, Vaino said, meaning the museum will be closed for at least a year, and likely longer. A new permanent exhibition must be created in the museum post-renovation too, while the rooms, which are of historical interest, will need putting in order.

Vaino added that from the museum's point of view the ideal solution would be for the entire building to be dedicated to it. "That is how it was when the museum was created. It has been difficult for us to receive larger groups, create exhibitions, organize events – that is, to carry out museum work as it should be done in a modern museum," Vaino added.

Under the current vision for the renovated building, the museum's ground floor will house its archive and an open space for exhibitions and gatherings, while it is hoped a creative residency for writers can be housed there too.

Turning back to the library's immediate situation, this will be closed from next month, December 9, to March 3 next year, Tallinn libraries' spokesperson Gethe Rohumägi said. All other Tallinn libraries remain open.

Some local residents in Kadriorg have criticized the move, calling the library an important place for the community, especially for children, to get acquainted with literature. Around 20 people expressed on social media a wish for the library to continue in the same location after the renovation.

One local resident, Tiiu Laks, told ERR: "Our children have a great love for books, but the reading habit still needs to be nurtured, and a warm environment and a good selection matter a great deal. When the hunger for reading becomes very strong, a library becomes essential." This requires an inviting and easily accessible library – and for Laks and her family, the Kadriorg library fulfils that role 100 percent.

"For the children here, the Kadriorg Library is certainly more than just a room with bookshelves – it is a place to spend time together or alone, a place to meet and craft. Its yard has always been open for games and picnics: the Kadriorg Library is a bit like a playground, except the play space is the wonderful worlds created by books," she added.

Whether the library will return to the Koidula 12a address after the renovation work is complete is not certain. For one thing, there are plans to look for a new and more spacious premises in the area while it is in the temporary location, Rohumägi said, adding that if no suitable property is found, it will indeed return to its original location.

Meanwhile Vaino said she is aware that locals are worried about whether the building will continue to be a beloved community hub, adding: "We can assure you that the museum will remain a place with open doors, welcoming all local children and adults, and our first floor will have cosy spots to spend time."

The library was opened in its current premises in November 2001. It had relocated a couple of times in the Soviet era, in 1953 and then in 1962, though both at nearby addresses.

The museum is named after Anton Hansen Tammsaare (1878–1940), a famed Estonian writer whose works included the "Truth and Justice" (Tõde ja õigus) pentalogy. Tammsaare had resided in an apartment in the same house.

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