The City of Tallinn has launched a public landscape architecture competition aimed at finding the best spatial design for the Ukraine Garden (Ukraina aed), located in Lembitu Park. The competition site covers the entirety of Lembitu Park, a formerly built-up city center block destroyed during the March bombings of 1944.

Deputy Mayor Madle Lippus stated that the competition is a logical continuation of the 2022 city government decision to dedicate the central part of Lembitu Park to celebrating Ukraine's freedom. "The choice of location for the Ukraine Garden was significant – it is near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building and Iceland Square (Islandi väljak), forming a cohesive ensemble with the Ukraine Garden," explained Lippus.

"The goal of the competition is to modernize the park using landscape architecture and create a symbolic piece – the Ukraine Garden – that preserves the park's original layout while giving it new meaning and enhancing its biodiversity. The creation could be an installation, land art, or another spatial solution that takes the park’s cultural and natural values into account, adding a new, meaningful layer," noted Lippus.

The park's modernization also responds to the need to make it more suitable for the evolving urban core and the needs of its residents.

The competition brief specifies that the solution must create a space in support of Ukraine’s freedom and territorial integrity while remaining in harmony with the current natural features of Lembitu Park. The design should align with the overall look of the park, expressed through subtle landscape messaging or architectural intervention rather than a radical redesign. The project will gain additional value if Ukrainian architects, landscape architects, or artists are involved in its creation.

In July, Tallinn's Urban Planning Department conducted an idea-gathering process among city residents to map the values and use of Lembitu Park and to gather input for the planned land art installation in support of Ukraine. Both the City Centre Master Plan under development and the recent idea collection highlight the importance of green oases near residences in the bustling city center.

The landscape architecture competition is organized by the Tallinn Urban Planning Department Department in collaboration with the Tallinn Urban Environment and Public Works Department, the Estonian Association of Architects, and the Estonian Landscape Architects' Union.

The total prize fund for the competition is 35,000 euros. The deadline for submission of competition entries via the national public procurement registry is January 9, 2025. The reference number for the competition is 285931.