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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

Vanaturu kael

Vanaturu kael (0)

Neck of the old market. Only thoroughfare in Tallinn designated by kael. As to whether this was an original designation, I am skeptical, despite a similar use elsewhere (Lemmiku kael on Aegna, see Tulekivi). Other examples such as Võrkla from Wærkæla; Nahkjala > Nakæl; Sinikahja > Sinikaela; etc., suggest a possible genitive suffixed by a ‑la ending (see Hiiela and Ruunaoja). Known as Markthalsgasse, Marktstraße, Marktgasse, etc., in the 19th C, the first of which suggests it as a covered part of a market (could the hal turn into kael?).

Vanemuise

Vanemuise (Vanemuine)

God of music composed by Faehlmanni F.R. and Weizenberg A. in their Estonian mythology, name borrowed from Finnish Väinämöinen of folklore and Kalevala fame, giving its name to a theatre in Tartu. The name may well come from Finnish väinämö, minstrel, but see Väina (my original interpretation that it came from ‘old’, vanha in Finnish and vana in Estonian (or vanem, elder, see Kuninga), is almost certainly wrong, and some people wouldn’t say ‘almost’). Part of a small Estonian mythology street-name group. See Haldja.

Vaniku

Vaniku (Vanik)

Wreath, garland, chaplet, ranging from the traditional garland of flowers to the increasingly popular garland of autumn leaves draped below the window, to woven headdresses. Previously known by its Pelgulinn synonym Pärja in 1959.

  1. Väo
  2. Väomurru
  3. Vaprate
  4. Värava

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Wanted!

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