Centuries-old boat discovered during construction of hotel in Tallinn

Centuries-old boat discovered during construction of hotel in Tallinn. Photo: Sander Ilvest

Construction workers discovered a centuries-old boat during work on a hotel and office building on Sadama Street in Tallinn that, according to an archaeologist, could date back to the second half of the 17th century at the latest.

«At the moment, work is still underway to clear the boat, and therefore, unfortunately, no fundamental conclusions can be drawn,» archaeologist Rivo Bernotas said. However, given the location of the boat and the coastline at that time, it could date back to the second half of the 17th century as the latest time point.

The archaeologist, the City of Tallinn and contractor AS Merko Ehitus Eesti all emphasized that the location of the find has nothing to do with the construction of the Old City Harbor tramway, and hence it cannot delay the progress of that project.

«This is not a worksite of the Old City Harbor tramway, but of a hotel and office building under construction at 4 Sadama Street, which is also being built by AS Merko Ehitus Eesti,» Tiit Joost, project manager at Merko, said.

He added that archaeological excavations have been going on at the site for some time, of which they would certainly have informed the client, meaning the City of Tallinn in case of the Old City Harbor tramway.