One of the symbols of Tallinn is the Botanical Garden, which is located in the eastern part of the city, next to the TV tower, 3 km from the city centre. The place where the garden is located is called "Kloostrimetsa" (from St Brigitta's Pirita Monastery - "Pirita Kloster"). Next to the botanical garden there is an exit to the Baltic Sea, where the most beautiful panorama of the city of Tallinn opens at sunset. The Pirita River flows near the garden.
The Tallinn Botanical Garden was founded on 1 December 1961 as an institute of the Academy of Sciences. Most of the collections were planted during the first 20 years. The institution was opened to the public in 1970, the greenhouses and greenhouses in 1971.
In 1992 the Tallinn Botanical Garden joined the Association of Baltic Botanical Gardens (ABBG) and in 1994 the Botanical Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). The Friends of Tallinn Botanical Garden Society was established in 1995. During the existence of the botanical garden it has been headed by Arnold Pukk (1961-1978), Jüri Martin (1978-1988), Andres Tarand (1989-1990), Heiki Tamm (1991-1997), Jüri Ott (1997-2001) and Veiko Lõhmus (2001-2005), and since 2005. - dr. Margus Kinisepp.
The design of most of the open-air compositions was developed by landscape architect Alexander Niine (1910-1975). The largest area is occupied by an arboretum, planted in 1963. The plants are arranged according to the principle of relatedness. The same planting principle was used in the creation of the alpinarium. The rest of the outdoor expositions are based on the historical principle and the principle of ornamental horticulture.
The dendropark, which is an exposition of woody plants, covers an area of 17 hectares. It is the richest collection of woody plants open to the public in Estonia. One of the most flowering and colourful parts of the botanical garden is the alpinarium, created on a natural slope at a height of 8 metres between 1970 and 1973.
The rose garden adjacent to the arboretum features an exposition of rose hips, all kinds of roses (bush, climbing, tall, low-growing). On the long bed of the rose garden the history of rose breeding is demonstrated. On some of the beds the resistance of roses to different weather conditions, pests and diseases is monitored. In addition, the botanical garden presents other plant collections: perennials, ferns, bulbs, and useful plants.
You can get to the zoo in different ways: by public transport, by car or by bicycle. You will have to leave your bicycle outside the gates of the park, as it is not allowed to ride in the botanical garden. A guided tour of the outdoor collections and the Palm House greenhouses, which lasts about 1 hour, can be booked in advance.
