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

Telliskivi

Telliskivi (Telliskivi)

Brick, tile. See also Kivi. Named after brick factory founded in 1879 by Johann Grabby (probably located at what is now Mulla 2 or 4) hence its other former name of Grabbysche Straße (±1884). See Kopli and Pelgulinna asum.

Tendri

Tendri (Tender)

Tender, the wagon behind the locomotive, carrying coal, other fuel or equipment. ‘Street’ renaming the former SW section of Veduri. In fact, just a gravel path from Auru connecting with Söe by a 10-plank wooden footbridge. One of a small locomotive-themed group next to Tallinn-Väike station.

Terase

Terase (Teras)

Steel; figuratively, a knife. One of a metals street group. See Tina. Earliest records (1880) give a muddled bundle of German, Russian and Estonian names Tschortowstraße, Чортова / Чертова (Chortova / Chertova) and Tšortovi / Tschortovi, which all seem to indicate “devil’s street”, but was probably a misspelling of the name of an inn that had been there since the 18th C. Either way, street renamed in 1880 as Большая Епинатьевская ул. (Great Epinatiev street) after Russian businessman Алексей Дмитриевич Епинатьев, Alexei Dimitrivitch Epinatiev (1819-1878), founder of Gusli (a couple of hundred meters away as the balalaika sounds [so probably not heavy metal then], see Narva); family made hereditary honorary citizens for services to cultural education in 1872.

  1. Tervise
  2. Tihase
  3. Tihniku
  4. Tiigi

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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.

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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.