Tallinn Botanical Garden reopens Palm House

A project invites foreign embassies to present their nature and culture at the Garden

On 8 June, the Tallinn Botanical Garden officially opened its Palm House following a thorough renovation. At the inauguration ceremony, Tallinn Mayor Mihhail Kõlvart, Deputy Mayors Eha Võrk and Kalle Klandorf, Tallinn Botanical Garden Director Urve Sinijärv and a representative of the construction company Ehitus5ECO symbolically cut a green-leaf wreath instead of a ribbon.

Embassy of the Plant Kingdom

The Mayor lauded the Botanical Garden where plant species from all over the world are represented, for its commendable job in showcasing, researching and preserving the plant kingdom. He also voiced his satisfaction with the Taimeriigi Suursaatkonna project (Embassy of the Plant Kingdom) which gives the stage every month to one of the foreign embassies based in Estonia to introduce their country, nature and culture in the Garden.

"This project may help us to understand what makes our domestic nature so special and why it should be preserved," said Kõlvart, as quoted by the city website.

"Figuratively speaking, where else should people embrace the green revolution, if not in the botanical garden," said Garden director Urve Sinijärv. "The Palm House is a unique building for both Tallinn and Estonia, where an abundance of tropical plants is on display, allowing everyone to take a short, hot break even in winter."

Advantages of renovation

According to Sinijärve, growing conditions for plants in the Palm House have been significantly improved, with last generation climate control mechanisms installed during the renovation. For vegetation to survive the dark winter hours, the house is now equipped with special plant lamps. Ventilation hatches operate without human intervention and respond to changes to air temperature as well as wind and precipitation to combat the universal problem of indoor condensation. 

During the repair works, the glass facade of the Palm House tower was replaced with a more heat-resistant facade, heating and ventilation solutions were reconstructed and the interior finish was also renewed. The café, which was previously located on the ground floor, will soon open on two levels so that visitors can enjoy a holistic view of the entire plant area. 

The reconstruction of the Palm House was designed by Infragate AS and carried out by Ehitus5ECO OÜ company. The total cost of the project amounted to almost EUR 2.2 million.

Dating back to Soviet times

The Tallinn Botanical Garden was established as an institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR on 1 December, 1961. The Botanical Garden became a municipal institution in 1995 and since January 2005 it has been under the administration of the Tallinn Environmental and Public Utilities Board. TBA is a member of the Baltic Botanical Gardens Association and the International Organization for the Conservation of Botanical Gardens. In 2002 the institution was included in the state register of research and development institutions.

New facilities

Like nature itself, Tallinn Botanical Garden is constantly evolving and renewing. In addition to the Palm House, greenhouses were also reconstructed last year. This September, a new outbuilding of the Botanical Garden will be completed, and in the future the vacant premises of the current administrative building at Kloostrimetsa tee 52 will be used as a visitor centre. Regarding outdoor areas, planting will take place this summer at the Mountain Garden (otherwise known as Rock Garden) which is currently undergoing renovation.