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

Imanta (Imanta)

Apparently an erroneous transcription of Ymaut (Latvian), or Himmot or Himotu (Livonian), the soldier who killed the newly-appointed bishop of Ikšķile (ikškilā meaning ‘one village’ [or, possibly, ‘village No.1’] in Livonian [cf. German, Üxküll or Uexküll] in present-day Latvia), Cistercian Bishop Berthold of Hanover, on his bolting horse during the Livonian Crusade in 1198. Name of Estonian choral society founded in Riga, 1880.

Inseneri (Insener)

Engineer. Named after the Insenerimaja (Engineers’ House), at the end of the street (Uus 10).

Invaliidi (Invaliid)

Invalid, cripple, disabled serviceman. After the barracks for disabled servicemen, later converted into a dispensary for the prevention of tuberculosis.

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

Inn, hill and probably one-time village on the NE border of Tallinn, or the one-time standing boulder at ///zing.engaging.embodying, Iru Ämm, Iru’s mother-in-law or the Old Woman of Iru, into which Linda – Kalevipoeg’s mother, having been abducted and possibly raped by a Finnish sorcerer – was turned by Pikker’s lightning (see Pikri). Ironically, the original boulder was destroyed in the mid 19th C during a bonfire party. It was subsequently broken up and used to build, according to version, the Iru bridge (Irusilla) in 1865-67, or a Russian military airfield during WWI. Now replaced by a statue. Also site of a pre-Bronze age (±3000 BP) Corded-ware settlement.

Irusilla (Irusild)

Iru bridge. See Iru.

Islandi (Island)

Iceland, known for its various fishy banks. First state to recognize Estonia’s re-establishment as independent, on 22nd August 1991.

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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.