Kadriorg Palace
Encyclopedia
Catherinethal is a Petrine Baroque
palace of Catherine I of Russia
in Tallinn
, Estonia
. It was built after the Great Northern War
to Nicola Michetti
's designs by Gaetano Chiaveri
and Mikhail Zemtsov
. In the 20th century the Estonian
version of the name, Kadriorg, gained currency and came to be applied to the surrounding district
. The palace currently houses an art gallery. The KUMU Museum is sited in the park.
bought a Dutch-style manor house at Lasnamäe
for his wife Catherine
. The house today is the result of a drastic renovation ordered by Nicholas I of Russia
in 1827.
The new palace was started on 25 July 1718. Peter and Catherine visited the unfinished residence on several occasions, but after the emperor's death in 1725 Catherine showed no interest in the seaside property. The great hall with Catherine's initials and profuse stucco
decor (attributed to Heinrich von Bergen) survives, but many other interiors have been altered.
The gardener Ilya Surmin was responsible for the flower garden with two fountains and the so-called mirage garden on several levels. The layout of the park shares similarities with that of Strelna
.
, Estonia
's first president, embarked on extensive and controversial restorations with the aim of transforming the park and the palace into his private domain. A purpose-built presidential palace on the grounds (1938) was designed by Alar Kotli
.
The palace became the main site for the Art Museum of Estonia in 1921. The museum was re-housed in temporary locations from 1929 while the palace was being converted into the Estonian president's residence. It returned to the palace in 1946. The palace was closed in 1991 having fallen into a state of disrepair. It was decided that a new building would be established nearby for the museum (KunstiMuuseum or 'KUMU' for short).
The restored palace was reopened in the summer of 2000, but it no longer served as the main building of the museum, only as a branch. It is the home of the foreign art collection of the museum.
Petrine Baroque
Petrine Baroque is a name applied by art historians to a style of Baroque architecture and decoration favoured by Peter the Great and employed to design buildings in the newly-founded Russian capital, Saint Petersburg, under this monarch and his immediate successors.Unlike contemporaneous Naryshkin...
palace of Catherine I of Russia
Catherine I of Russia
Catherine I , the second wife of Peter the Great, reigned as Empress of Russia from 1725 until her death.-Life as a peasant woman:The life of Catherine I was said by Voltaire to be nearly as extraordinary as that of Peter the Great himself. There are no documents that confirm her origins. Born on...
in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. It was built after the Great Northern War
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
to Nicola Michetti
Nicola Michetti
Nicola, Niccolo or Niccolò Michetti was an Italian Baroque architect....
's designs by Gaetano Chiaveri
Gaetano Chiaveri
Gaetano Chiaveri was an Italian Baroque architect and master builder, most notable for his work as part of the second phase of the Dresden Baroque. His works include the Katholische Hofkirche in Dresden and a new wing of the Royal Castle in Warsaw, whilst he also oversaw the construction of the...
and Mikhail Zemtsov
Mikhail Zemtsov
Mikhail Grigorievich Zemtsov was a Russian architect who practiced a sober, restrained Petrine Baroque style, which he learned from his peer Domenico Tresini...
. In the 20th century the Estonian
Estonian language
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
version of the name, Kadriorg, gained currency and came to be applied to the surrounding district
Kadriorg
Kadriorg is a subdistrict in the district of Kesklinn , Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 3,333 . Kadriorg means "Catherine's Valley" in Estonian, this derives from the Catherinethal, a Baroque palace of Catherine I of Russia.-External links:**...
. The palace currently houses an art gallery. The KUMU Museum is sited in the park.
Construction
After the successful siege of Reval in 1710 Peter the Great of RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
bought a Dutch-style manor house at Lasnamäe
Lasnamäe
Lasnamäe is the most populous administrative district of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The districts' population is about 115,000, the majority of which is Russian-speaking. Local housing is mostly represented by 5-16 stories high panel blocks of flats, built in the 1970-1990s. Lasnamäe is...
for his wife Catherine
Catherine I of Russia
Catherine I , the second wife of Peter the Great, reigned as Empress of Russia from 1725 until her death.-Life as a peasant woman:The life of Catherine I was said by Voltaire to be nearly as extraordinary as that of Peter the Great himself. There are no documents that confirm her origins. Born on...
. The house today is the result of a drastic renovation ordered by Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
in 1827.
The new palace was started on 25 July 1718. Peter and Catherine visited the unfinished residence on several occasions, but after the emperor's death in 1725 Catherine showed no interest in the seaside property. The great hall with Catherine's initials and profuse stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
decor (attributed to Heinrich von Bergen) survives, but many other interiors have been altered.
The gardener Ilya Surmin was responsible for the flower garden with two fountains and the so-called mirage garden on several levels. The layout of the park shares similarities with that of Strelna
Strelna
Strelna is a municipal settlement in Petrodvortsovy District of the federal city of St. Petersburg, Russia, situated about halfway between St. Petersburg proper and Petergof and overlooking the shore of the Gulf of Finland...
.
Restoration
Catherinethal was abandoned by Russian royalty throughout the late 18th and 19th centuries. In the 1930s Konstantin PätsKonstantin Päts
Konstantin Päts VR I/1 and III/1 was the most influential politician of interwar Estonia. He was one of the first Estonians to become active in politics and started an almost 40-year political rivalry with Jaan Tõnisson, first through journalism with his newspaper Teataja, later through politics...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
's first president, embarked on extensive and controversial restorations with the aim of transforming the park and the palace into his private domain. A purpose-built presidential palace on the grounds (1938) was designed by Alar Kotli
Alar Kotli
Alar Kotli was an Estonian architect. He studied sculpture at the art school Pallas in Tartu during 1922-1923 and mathematics at the University of Tartu...
.
The palace became the main site for the Art Museum of Estonia in 1921. The museum was re-housed in temporary locations from 1929 while the palace was being converted into the Estonian president's residence. It returned to the palace in 1946. The palace was closed in 1991 having fallen into a state of disrepair. It was decided that a new building would be established nearby for the museum (KunstiMuuseum or 'KUMU' for short).
The restored palace was reopened in the summer of 2000, but it no longer served as the main building of the museum, only as a branch. It is the home of the foreign art collection of the museum.
| The façade | The interior | The palace in winter |