Office of the Chancellor of Justice

One of the grandest noble palaces on Toompea is located at Kohtu Street 8. The building was commissioned by Reinhold August von Kaulbars, the owner of the Rägavere and Mõdriku manors. Constructed between 1809 and 1914, the main volume of the palace was designed by Tallinn city architect Carl Ludwig Engel, while the side wings were planned by master builder C. J. Jänichen (1811). Both the richly stuccoed front and rear facades of the building are particularly striking. On the street-facing side of the Empire-style palace, which features a French-style cour d’honneur layout, one’s attention is drawn to the Latin motto: “ESIVANEMATE HEADE SOOVIDE JA SOOSINGUGA” (PARENTUM VOTO AC FAVORE – “With the wishes and favor of the ancestors”). The rear façade rises dramatically above the Toompea cliff and features a powerful portico with six Ionic columns. The interior of the palace has been repeatedly modified and updated over time, yet many original details have been preserved. Since 1920, the building has housed various ministries, and since 2004, it has been home to the Office of the Chancellor of Justice.