Pae Park

Location

Paepargi 21, Tallinn, Estonia

Status

Completed in 2016

Photos

Kert Kaarma

Typology

Landscape and Urban Planning

Pae Park extends over 22 hectares of a former limestone quarry that was abandoned in the mid-­1960s. The pond in the middle of the park takes up around 8 hectares of the overall area. The long period abandonment  gave the area its peculiarly wild relief and interesting plant and bird life. The selection of trees is quite wide and thanks to a quirk of nature it also includes a peach tree.

During the redevelopment of the old quarry (2006-2016), the area was tidied up and subdivided into three chapters: The Hill, Nightingale, and Family Park. The Hill Park has the most unlevel relief, the different levels are interconnected with pathways and stairs. This part of the park also houses a summer theatre that can be used for concerts, outdoor cinema etc. The Hill park is connected to the Family Park via a 75 metre long footbridge (completed in 2013). The Family Park is an open area with several activity zones: a playground, a picnic area, sports grounds etc. The Nightingale Park has retained a wilder character with the aim to guarantee a suitable nesting area for the birds of the park. The entire park area is connected with different pathways and a jogging track covered in bark mulch also zigzags through the park, which can be used as a ski track in winter. The park is becoming a new attraction centre and recreation area for the inhabitants of Lasnamäe, thus essentially enriching the urban environment of the district.

One part of the redevelopment of the park is the administrative building of the Lasnamägi District by Raivo Puusepp completed in 2011.