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!

Home

Virve

Virve (Virve)

Flicker (sound, light or wave), wavering, ripple, reflecting its proximity to Ülemiste lake. Crosses Laine. Also outdated woman’s name.

Vismeistri

Vismeistri (Vismeister) Symbol designating a Tallinn "Asum", or Sub-district.

From Fischmeister or ‘fishmaster’. Former village named after Toompea’s – what in today’s post-GoT world would be called – ‘Master of Fish’ in charge of fishing and fish supplies. Earliest record dating to 1515 as Vismestere. Name later adopted by a summer manor (see Mõisa) in Haabersti (for the locality’s history of name change, see Fišmeistri). In nearby Maardu there is a street called Teemeistri, inspector of roads, although some very dodgy pan-Gaian linguistico-bimbonerds claim this should be ‘tea-master’ (tee is both road and tea) due to a putative common parentage of Estonian and Japanese. One may legitimately suspect wishful thinking...

Vati

Vati (Vatt)

Being next to Lambi, which could be mistaken for ‘Lamb street’ (it’s not), it might suggest wadding, padding, cotton wool (from French ouate) or, by extension, a short jacket or clothes. But no, false friends: lamp:lambi is a lamp and Vatt:vati is a Watt, so be careful with your abbreviations. 10th of a septenary* selection of sparky streets. See Juhtme.

* Maths joke. Don’t worry, I didn’t even get it myself on proof-reading.

Vasara

Vasara (Vasar)

Hammer. Which also, appropriately, crosses Sirbi.

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Advertise...

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.