Names
Suur-Karja (Suur-Kari)
Greater/Upper Cattle (also flock, pack, troop, crowd), once leading to pasture outside town. Earliest recorded names in a mix of various languages including vee strate, MLG for cattle or livestock street (1362), Kariestrate, Esto-MLG for cattle street (1365), Lat. Platea or Strata Pecorum, Cattle gate (see Karja värav), with an attempted later gentrification, not without a touch of condescension (starting in Latin, finishing in the vernacular) of strata pecorum vulgaritur vestrate, i.e. more or less ‘Beef Street, commonly known as Cow Street’ (1363-7) sociologically similar to the English post-Norman-Conquest use of ‘beef’, from the higher-status French term bœuf, instead of the everyday English cow/cattle. Known for a while as Michaelis-Straße / Михайловская ул. (1776), apparently after Russian victories of 1710 in the Great Northern War and a procession through the gate on Michaelmas day. Maybe. See also Väike-Karja.
Suur-Kloostri (Suur-Klooster)
Greater/Upper Abbey (convent, monastery, cloister...). After the Cistercian St. Michael’s Convent, Mihkli Klooster (1249-1629). Renamed (1950-1987) as Nooruse during the Soviet occupation.
Suur-Laagri (Suur-Laager)
Big-camp. According to TT, street named after a former (?) military camp located there. Since the street was first named in 1908, it may well have been a Tsarist Army camp, close to the then ‘Patarei’ marine fortress (see Suur-Patarei). Street joined at the hip by its cadet, Väike-Laagri.
Suur-Männiku (Suur-Männik)
Greater Pine wood/grove. A relatively small side-road (±250 m) forking off the far larger, far longer (±8.5 km) Männiku tee. I said nothing. But see also Väike-Männiku.
Suur-Paala (Suur-Paala)
Greater/Upper Paala. Paala / Pala is said to be a river or location some 11 km N of Viljandi, often claimed as Vanamõisa, and site of the Madisepäeva lahing (St-Matthews’s day battle, 1217-09-21) where Lembit, unwisely, lost his head. Paala / Pala, however, is a bit of an issue, and open to various interpretations. It could be: 1) today: one of the earlier names (another, believe it or not, being Vorsti, or ‘sausage’ river) of Põltsamaa river (ultimately making it a tributary of Emajögi [lit. mother river] which meanders due east from Võrtsjärv [järv = lake] through oxbows, meadows and Tartu city center to empty into lake Peipsi and, at its closest, about 30 km from Vanamõisa); 2) yesterday: an alternative or misidentification of Navesti, river or village (both of which are 20-odd km north of Vanamõisa). For both of these, we have a problem. Probably that of physical and mental distance from the event, or misrecollection, or error. Medieval satnav meant gazing at the stars and hoping it’s not too cloudy (it was); 3) Henry of Livonian Chronicle fame states that after the battle, “the army marched into Pala, Lembit’s village” (he also puts Pala into 2 different counties). It gets much more convoluted than that, but the important thing is not to read too much into historical ‘records’, where even naming it a ‘record’ gives it authority. Often, it’s just guys selling a story and the details didn’t always matter. Let’s move on. Street close to Sõjamäe, site of yet another battle. Suur-Paala’s previous names, respectively Suur-Poltava, Große Poltawsche Straße and Большая Полтавская ул., commemorated the decisive victory of Russia over Sweden in the Battle of Poltava on 1709-06-27 during the Great Northern War, heralding the rise of Russian Imperialism and decline of Swedish power. One of those interesting name-changes where both the topic (a battle) and sound of the name were similar enough for a quick nationalistic make-over. And why not? See Väike-Paala.
Suur-Patarei (Suur-Patarei)
Greater/Upper Battery (of the military persuasion), after the former ‘Patarei’ marine fortress. Previously spelled Battarei (1885) or Batarei (1908, etc.), and by the Germans Große Batteriestraße (1877, etc.) or Groß-Batteriestraße (1942), following its earlier appellation of Köismäe tee / Reperbahn(straße) or ropemakers’ street. Also, according to TT, once called На косе (Na kose, [nothing to do with Kose] translating as luitel, see Luite), On the Dune / Sand-drifts, an ideal place for rope-making. Dissected by a railway line, the northern part now leads to the ‘Patarei’, converted into Tallinn’s Central Prison in 1919, now disused following its merger with Tallinn’s other prison at then Magasini 35 (2003), later Võtme, built on a 1944-1949 prisoner-of-war camp originally known as Correctional Work Colony no. 5, now closed and relocated to Soodevahe just outside Tallinn, and the new chamber-system prison at Maardu (2004) where miscreants are entitled to fewer opportunities for exchanging tricks of the trade. See Väike-Patarei.
