Vana-Veerenni (Vana-Veerenn)

Old Channel. Between this and Liivalaia, close to the present-day Sõprus Cinema, was one of Tallinn’s earlier outdoor entertainment parks, the Kivivõllaste paik (lit. place of the stone-built gallows) aka Hukkamispaik (execution square) where guests were hung, drawn, gouached and quartered then their heads and other body parts impaled and displayed in the Timukaaed (hangman’s garden) to encourage a belated sense of civic behavior. During the course of its history, Tallinn has had a variety of places of execution. Raekoja Plats and Toompea (which may have been called Jeruusalemma Mägi [Mount Jerusalem] but where?) and may have been among the earliest, along with another (until 16^th C?) in front of Viru Värav (executions inside the city were prohibited by 17-18^th C). The main one, however, identified as Võllamägi (gallows hill), was built here at the turn of the 14/15^th C, some 50-odd m S of Liivalaia. Archaeology has confirmed the remains of the above-mentioned ‘stone-built gallows’ to be located beneath Swedbank at approx. ///delivers.dogs.organs. But the Karte der Gouvernements-Stadt Reval of 1876 shows a Galgen Berg (also gallows hill) some 600 m further south approximately within the Vana-Lõuna / Pille triangle, also apparently known as Jeruusalemma Mägi or Kolgata (Golgotha). They both seem to share the same dates (14-17^th C), and some kind of overlap is suspected, perhaps more for exhibition / warning purposes closer to town and disposal of decaying corpses further away. With topics like this, prurient and anecdotal information abounds. Add salt.

Vana-Viru (Vana-Viru)

Old Viru. Previously Alte Lehmstraße / Старая Глиняная ул (Staraya Glinyanaya), old clay street (1889, etc.) and Narvsche Straße / Нарвский выезд (Narvskiy vyyez), Narva road / ‘exit’ / egress or just ‘Road to Narva’ (1889, etc.). ‘Выезд’ – which only occurs once in Estonian street-names – raises an interesting point: as well as for things like ‘away’ matches, it was also used for the side-hustle of decking out a horse and carriage for rent as pin money. Would have been a good place for it, so possible, but don’t quote me. See Viru tänav.

Vanakuu (Vanakuu)

Old moon. In this case (see Noorkuu), waning crescent. Eastern arc of the two semi-circular moon streets. 

Vanalinn (0)

Old Town. Oldest part of the Kesklinn and Sub-district (Asum), divided according to source into 4 Wards (Allasum, pl. Allasumid): All-linn and Toompea, along with the rather nebulous Tallinna linnamüür (Tallinn City Wall) and Tallinna muldkindlustusvöönd (earthwork entrenchment zone). The result of which is an awkward situation where a number of streets (from Aia to Uus) belong to none of the Wards. While they may well be listed under ‘Vanalinn’, the asymmetric Ward organization irritates the neurodivergent who walk among us. I have therefore decided to create a new Ward which I shall call ‘Kolmas Linn’ and will include all Vanalinn streets, squares, belvederes, etc., that are neither Toompea nor All-linn. Tallinn Linnavalitsus, please take note. See Uuslinn.

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 19^th C, the first of which suggests it as a covered part of a market (could the hal turn into kael?).