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The museums of Kadriorg KUMU Art Museum Apart from the classical as well as contemporary works of Estonian artists the KUMU Art Museum (Weizenbergi 34/ Valge 1) also hosts international exhibitions and offers the services of its digital archive which is actually a picture bank where you can see, search and order works stored in the archive of the museum without having to leave home. In 2008, the KUMU Art Museum was awarded the European Museum of the Year Award.
Russia needed a residence there. Peter initially stayed in a rather modest summer cottage in Kadriorg but was fascinated by the surroundings and decided to build a palace and park ensemble worthy of the Russian Empire. After having hired an Italian architect, Niccoló Michetti, Peter ordered the works to commence in summer 1718. Michetti remained true to the Italian trends of the time according to which the palace and its extensions were built on a natural terrace. The local terraced relief also dictated the layout of the park – the Lower Garden was designed in front of the palace and the Upper Garden at the back which, in turn, was also located on different levels. Niccoló Michetti designed the palace in three parts. The well preserved main hall is one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture in Estonia as well as of Peter’s era Russia and of the entire kevad/spring 2011 I INTIME
Northern Europe. The entrance hall has preserved its authentic look as have many of the stoves in the palace. The palace complex comprises several adjacent buildings, the majority of which have been renovated. The development of a grandiose park ensemble with many auxiliary buildings, canals, ponds and almost 50 fountains was unfortunately cut short by the death of Peter the Great in 1725. Picturesque park
The Kadriorg Park is a fine example of Tsarist extravagance and is also a typical cut of the world trends of the time. While the palace is unmistakably of Italian style, the garden was already designed to present French features that prevailed in Europe at the time. The northern part of the park was intended to have the look of a natural landscape with an-
Kadriorg Art Museum The collection of the Kadriorg Art Museum located at Kadriorg Palace (Weizenbergi 37) comprises over 900 paintings by Western European and Russian artists from the period between the 16th and 20th centuries; it houses 3,500 prints; over 3,000 sculptures and items of miniature plastics, as well as 1,600 items of applied art (pieces of furniture, porcelain, glass, etc). The exposition also includes a selection of works by Estonian, Russian and English silversmiths and goldsmiths. Mikkel Museum In 1994, the private art collector, Johannes Mikkel (1907–2006), donated to the Art Museum of Estonia his private collection comprising over 600 pieces of art by Western European, Russian, Chinese and Estonian artists from the period between the 16th and 20th centuries. The historic Kadriorg Palace kitchen (Weizenbergi 28) was specially renovated to house the collection and it was named the Mikkel Museum. The pride of the collection are the four etchings by Rembrandt.
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