Streetsign reading "Tallinn Streets dot com" Header

Work in progress

A pile of ro ad signs half-trashed and piled up on a building-site, to indicate the site is in construction.

Website under construction, many entries missing, no photos with the streets yet, layout not finalized...

This started with a book (last few pages under review) and so far 1814 of the 1884 articles (A to Z, with 50-odd Ts remaining) entered so far, so some 5% of the links go nowhere.

Logo of the Tallinn Children's Hospital Foundation

The Book

All author earnings of A Rambling Dictionary of Tallinn Street Names to be donated to the foundation or donate here.

If anyone could help or advise as to the legal mechanism, it would be appreciated, thanks!

The Website

Not intended at the beginning, the present website is taking on a life of its own, with plans for relevant discussion forums, picture galleries and, over time, more non-streetname entries.

In theory, it will be funded by advertising relevant to people in Tallinn, to be determined.

A percentage of profits (also to be determined) to be donated to the foundation. 

Contact

Photograph of Simon Hamilton in Pikk street, Tallinn.

Apparently, a company that uses its owner's name is considered more trustworthy because they put themselves on the line.

This is me, in Tallinn this spring (2025), on a 3-month spree to check details, take photos (about 12K), explore (ave. 15K/day), and so on. I think I covered every street in Kesklinn (apart from Mõigu), most of Põhja-Tallinn and some Kristiine.

For information, please contact Simon at this address dot com, thanks!

Names

Vambola

Vambola (Vambola)

Named after the mine-cruiser Vambola/Wambola, ex Soviet Spartak, ex Russian Kapitan 2, one of two Russian destroyers (sister ship/street Lennuk a block away) hijacked by the British and given to Estonia in 1919 (or maybe Dec 1918). Name almost certainly comes from the eponymous hero of Wambola: Jutustus wanast Eesti ajaloost (1209-1212), Vambola: A Story from Olde Estonian Historie (1209-1212) (1889, Publ. J. Solba), reviving interest in Lembit of Lehola, first tome of a trilogy including Aita (1891) and Leili (1892/93) by Saali A. Ship said to have been sold to Peru in 1933 and scrapped in 1954. It is not impossible that the similarly-sounding Varbola may have had played some initial influence in the name. Not to be confused with EML (Eesti Mereväe Laev, lit. Estonian Naval Ship) Wambola (M311), ex ‘Cuxhaven’ of German Navy, given to Estonia in 2003.

Advertise...

Your business, store or consultancy next to your street address and a percentage of your fee (to be determined) goes the the Children's Hospital fund.

Sponsorship logo top bare

Post your favorite local photo and sponsor the foundation. Your entire sponsorship goes go the the Children's Hospital fund

Wanted!

Beautiful photos of your street or Tallinn! Send them in! No remuneration planned for now, but will be attributed according to your preferences.