Tallinn: Old Town in Depth - Part 19

The Rotermann Quarter (Rotermanni Kvartal)

Sprawling between Hotel Viru and the port, just east of the Old Town, this 19th-century industrial zone is being redeveloped into shopping, office, and living space. Characteristic old brick shells are being topped with visually striking glass and steel additions. For those interested in the gentrification of an ageing city it’s worth a quick stroll to see the cutting edge of ‘old meets new’ Nordic architecture. The construction is ongoing, and the area still feels a bit soulless with only a few shops and restaurants open which should be better by the time you read this. I’ve recommended two good restaurants, in a later section, that give you an excuse to walk five minutes across the street from the Old Town to take a look around. To see the first completed area, start at Hotel Viru, cross busy Narva Maantee and walk down Roseni street. At #7 you’ll find the hard-to-resist Kalev chocolate shop, selling Estonia’s best-known sweets.

KADRIORG PARK AND THE KUMU MUSEUM

Kadriorg Park

This spacious seaside park is home to a summer royal residence and the Kumu Art Museum. It is just a five-minute tram ride or a 25-minute walk from Hotel Viru. After Russia took over Tallinn in 1710, Peter the Great built the small Kadriorg Palace for Czarina Catherine, the palace’s name means “Catherine’s Valley”. Stately, peaceful, and crisscrossed by leafy paths, the park has a rose garden, duck filled pond, playground and benches. The old czarist guardhouses hark back to the days of Russian rule. It’s a charming place for a stroll or a picnic. If it starts raining duck into one of the cafés in the park’s art museums.

You get to the park on tram #1 or #3 with sign of Kadriorg, you can catch at any tram stop around the Old Town. Get off at the Kadriorg stop which is the end of the line, where trams turn and head back into town, and walk 200 yards straight ahead and up Weizenbergi, the park’s main avenue. Peter’s summer palace is on the left and behind it you can visit the formal garden. At the end of the avenue is the Kumu Art Museum, the park’s most important sight. A taxi from Hotel Viru to this area should only cost about €5. If you’re returning from here directly to the port to catch your cruise ship or boat to Helsinki, use tram #1. It stops at the Linnahall stop near the main cruise port and Terminals A, B, and C.

The palace’s manicured gardens are free to enter and are worth the visit. On weekends, you’ll likely see a steady parade of brides and grooms here, posing for wedding pictures. The summer palace itself is home to the Kadriorg Art Museum (Kadrioru Kunstimuuseum), with very modest Russian and Western European galleries. Entrance is €4. 80; May to Sept Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, Wed until 20:00, closed Mon.

The fenced off area directly behind the garden is where you’ll see the local “White House”, which is pink, and the home of Estonia’s president. Walk around to the far side to find its main entrance, with the seal of Estonia above the door, flagpoles flying both the Estonian and the EU flags.

A five-minute walk beyond the presidential palace takes you to the Kumu Art Museum, described next. For a longer walk from here, the rugged park rolls down toward the sea.

Continued in part 20.