Names
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.
Vana Tooma (Vana Toomas)
Old Thomas. Named after the character on the weather-vane atop the Raekoda (City Hall) spire. Toomas has stood there since 1530 at least. Damaged by the March 1944 bombing, a replacement was made in 1952 (or was it 1954?), and a new copy (the present one) in 1996. Legend has it (and by now you probably know I hate that word) that the character modeled was a city guard who <insert heart-warming story here> watches over his city to this day. Soviet occupation renaming (1963-1987) of Dunkri, although what political message they were sending out is not sure. Vana Toomas remains a popular symbol of Tallinn. For some, its spirit.
