Two limes, planted in 1883 to mark two hundred years of one family at one address. The Huecks acquired Lai 29 in 1683 and the trees went in for the bicentenary, which is a grand way to note a property anniversary and has outlived everyone involved. Sirp, the Estonian culture weekly that records the year, hedges it with "apparently", so take 1883 as the best account anyone has rather than a documented planting. They belong together and are protected together, listed as a single natural monument since 2009: two common limes in front of one house, each around 25 metres tall. There is one obvious place to stand, on the far pavement, where both fit in the frame at once. The interesting part is underneath. Lai is a paved Old Town street with almost nothing beneath it for a root to work with, and Sirp describes the pair as growing in the middle of a stone desert. Whatever the family thought it was planting, the result has spent 143 years making a living out of the gaps between cobbles and cellar walls, at a size that would be respectable in a park with proper soil. The house behind them still carries the family's name.
In bloom
July to August, when it flowers
The line is our estimate of how much there is to see, not a measurement. Typical for this species where this tree stands; exact weeks shift with the year.
In front of Lai 29 (Huecki maja), Tallinn Old TownTwo limes of matched size standing together in front of Lai 29. The far pavement is the place to stand, where both fit in one view.
Free, street trees standing in public space in front of the historic Huecki house
Central Tallinn Old Town, short walk from the Old Town's northern gate area
Sources
Where the facts on this page come from.
- In the official register: Kaitstavad looduse üksikobjektid (EELIS, Keskkonnaagentuur), no. KLO4000024
- sirp.ee
- protectedplanet.net
- EELIS (Eesti looduse infosüsteem), Keskkonnaagentuur: kaitstavad looduse üksikobjektid, no. KLO4000024
