Roadworks in Tallinn expose old cobblestones, but no heritage protection awaits them
Roadworks on Tallinn's Kreutzwaldi tänav have exposed a layer of old cobblestones hidden beneath the asphalt, but since the street lies outside the Old Town, the find cannot be granted heritage status.
Road and utility works that began on Monday on Kreutzwaldi tänav in central Tallinn have uncovered a stretch of cobblestones buried beneath the modern road surface. The discovery came during milling, the process of stripping away the top layer of asphalt.
According to city officials, finding old cobblestones beneath the surface in and around central Tallinn is not unusual. However, this particular find cannot be officially protected as heritage, since Kreutzwaldi tänav lies more than a kilometer outside the boundaries of the Old Town (Vanalinn).
Protection limited to the Old Town
Triin Tõrs-Ojari, head of the advisory service at the City of Tallinn's heritage conservation department, explained that cobblestone streets are a defining feature of the historic Old Town, which is why they receive legal protection only within that district. Outside the Old Town, cobblestones are typically concealed beneath more recent asphalt and other surfacing and are not restored once uncovered.
She added that, where feasible, the older road layers are simply left preserved beneath the new asphalt rather than removed. In some cases, uncovered cobblestones are reused elsewhere, serving as a design element in public spaces.
