Kadriorg Palace
Kadriorg Palace features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Tallinn. Give it roughly ~60 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type palace
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Tallinn Tallinn guide
About Kadriorg Palace
A pink Petrine Baroque palace that Peter the Great ordered in 1718 and named for his wife Catherine I; today it houses Estonia's collection of foreign art from four centuries.
Kadriorg Palace stands at the edge of Kadriorg Park, about two kilometres east of Tallinn's Old Town. Construction began on 25 July 1718 by order of Emperor Peter the Great of Russia and was completed in 1725. The Italian architect Nicola Michetti designed it, with Gaetano Chiaveri and Mikhail Zemtsov supervising the work. The name Kadriorg, in German Katharinental, means "Catherine's valley" and honours Peter's wife, Catherine I. Its great hall carries elaborate stucco bearing Catherine's initials and a painted ceiling.
The palace and park drew on Peter's residence at Strelna near Saint Petersburg, and gardener Ilya Surmin laid out the flower garden and fountains. After restorations in 1828-1830 and again in 1991-2000, the latter supported by Sweden, the building reopened in the summer of 2000. Since then it has housed the Kadriorg Art Museum, a branch of the Art Museum of Estonia, showing Western European and Russian art from the 16th to 20th centuries.
Did you know? Construction of Kadriorg, a Petrine Baroque palace, began on 25 July 1718 by order of Peter the Great and was completed in 1725, to designs by the Italian architect Nicola Michetti.
How long is a visit to Kadriorg Palace?
Set aside roughly ~60 min for Kadriorg Palace. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Kadriorg Palace worth your time?
Kadriorg Palace is among the 21 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Tallinn, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Tallinn
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Kadriorg Palace and read more:
Day 1 of the Tallinn in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Kadriorg Palace
Preview the Tallinn tour free in the Gingerguide app.