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, a couple of entries still pending, no photos with the streets yet, layout not finalized...

This started with a book (last few pages under review) and so far 1889 of the 1891 articles entered, 1 or 2 links may 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

Linnaosa vapp Haabersti / coat of arms of the Haabersti district, TallinnHaabersti (?) Symbol designating a Tallinn "Linnaosa", or District. Symbol designating a Tallinn "Asum", or Sub-district.

Manor house closish to Tallinn center, roughly on the site of the present-day zoo. First recorded in relation to a Tonnies Haberes / Habers / Habris / Habres from a nearby village Lahepea (qv.) and apparently renamed in German as Habers Hof (Oat Manor) in 1557, assumed to be derived from the German Hafer (oats). But there is no clear evidence that Tonnies’ ‘surname’ reflected a contemporary relationship, professional or romantic, with oats. How many Smiths do you know who earn their living as farriers, etc.? Street previously written Haawersti (1920), Haberscher Weg and Hawersche Straße. It must also rank as one of Tallinn’s more devious addresses: If you live in Haabersti, is it the street, the Sub-district (asum), or the District (linnaosa)? It is also the only occurrence in Tallinn where a street is in, and only in, an identically-named District and Sub-district. The other two contenders, Mustamäe and Pirita, spill onto their respective neighbors. One of Tallinn’s 8 Districts (Linnaosad). It includes the following Asumid (Sub-districts): Astangu, Haabersti, Kakumäe, Mustjõe, Mäeküla, Pikaliiva, Rocca al Mare, Tiskre, Veskimetsa, Vismeistri, Väike-Õismäe and Õismäe.

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.

Sponsorship logo top bare

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.