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Saali A.
(Andres Saal, 1861-1931)
Estonian writer of patriotic historical fiction (studied photography in Germany, worked in Jakarta, retired and died in San Francisco...), street existed until late 1950s, south of Tartu mnt, halfway between and parallel to present-day Liivalaia and Kreutzwaldi F.R. Prior to this, the street was called Fruchtstraße or Фруктовая (Fruktovaya), fruit street (1907-1916), with the Estonian Puuvilja added afterwards (1908-1936), Saalstraße in 1942, and at one stage in its past as Дмитровка (Dmytrovka) which seems to be quite a common Russian toponym, but what its relevance here is is obscure. Kivi says nothing.
Kreuksi J.
(Jaan Kreuks, 1891-1923)
Estonian Communist, shot in the back, they say, by the security police (Kaitsepolitsei). Soviet occupation renaming (1940-1989) of Kentmanni.
Laari J.
(Joosep Laar, 1905-1943)
One of the 11 Estonians ever to receive a Gold star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union, an honor he shared with Gagarini J., Leonid Brezhnev (4-times prize-winner!) and Trotsky’s ice-axe assassin. Soviet occupation renaming (1950-1991) of Villardi.
Viiralti E.
(Eduard Viiralt [Wiiralt], 1898-1954)
One of Estonia’s more outstanding artists, born in St Petersburg province. A “sympathetic, balanced and humble man” (Toivo Miljan: Historical Dictionary of Estonia), Viiralt spent most of his life in Paris (and, buried in Père-Lachaise cemetery, death too), traveling widely, leaving a significant collection of drawings and prints. It has been suggested that absinthe was not a million miles away from his copperplate of Põrgu, Hell. Has a tree in Viljandi named after him for a 1943 drawing he did, Viljandi maastik (Viljandi landscape), a copy of which recently sold at auction for just over €11,000. Street previously known as Janseni, Jannseni, etc, (1924-59), see Jannseni J.V.
