Future Presidents to Reside in Rocca al Mare
While Toomas Hendrik Ilves will wind up his term at his official residence in Kadriorg, future Estonian presidents will be based at the Liberty Manor complex in Rocca al Mare, a seaside district on the west side of Tallinn.
The reason for the move to an estate with an English name in an Italianate-sounding district is that Kadriorg Palace is plagued by space constraints. The Office of the President currently lacks an area where it can host foreign dignitaries, for example.
On January 31, Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi signed a document transferring a seaside plot of land at Liberty Manor to State Real Estate Ltd, authorizing its renovation into the new presidential residence, Postimees reported yesterday.
The paper led off the story by reporting that "Prime Minister Andrus Ansip is preparing a place for European Commission Vice President Siim Kallas." Kallas is widely seen as the country's next head of state.
The plot is valued at a little over 1 million euros and the work, not expected to be completed until the next president's first term at least, will cost about 4 million euros.
The 18th century complex is currently dilapidated and Postimees likened its appearance to Pippi Longstocking's Villa Villekulla with its Swedish shantytown atmosphere.