Toompea’s suburb Kassisaba is an excellent example of a district of wooden houses, which has largely retained its historic buildings and milieu, and has been professionally restored. The Kassisaba sub-district, known for maintaining the valued historic milieu of the neighbourhood, was first mentioned in year 1732. The name Kassisaba (Cat’s Tail) is likely to have come from the higher defence structures built at the corners of the castle ramparts and the roads descending from these. In German these roads were called “Katzenschwanz”, the direct translation of which is “Cat’s Tail”. One such defence structure was situated right before the western wall of the Toompea castle.

A more intensive building period for Kassisaba begun in 1877, stretching the suburb’s borders to the south. When the Estonian Republic was born, the whole Kassisaba area was already covered in houses. The dominant house type was two-storey apartment buildings covered in wooden decor and having characteristic gardens in the back, and large yards.

Smaller apartment buildings with green backyards are still the dominant element of Kassisaba, and this tradition is also continued in the Milieu House – an exclusive 9-apartment building at the centre of Kassisaba, on Wismari street, which connects the Toompea and Kristiine areas.

The area is right beside the town centre, and Old Town, and the urban lifestyle hub Telliskivi Creative City is only a short walk away. Despite the busy traffic on Paldiski mnt and Endla streets, the inner streets of Kassisaba are peaceful and the traffic is light – just perfect for enjoying a stroll.

One of the characteristics of Kassisaba as an area is an abundance of greenery. Both private yards and public areas grow bushes and trees, which have been professionally kept, replanted, and added to.

Beautiful scenery and peace can be found at Falgi Park, which is at the Kassisaba end of a whole cascade of parks – Falgi, Hirvepark, Toompark, and Snelli Parks.