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

Karu (Karu)

Bear. First recorded as Medvedjevi tn after Russian property owner – bear in Russian is медведь (medved), from Proto-Slavic *medvědь, honey-eater, suggested to have developed as a means of skirting an Indo-European taboo word for bear – later translated and/or transliterated to other variants, Bärenstraße, Medwedi tn, etc., and temporarily renamed Kingissepa V. from 1940-1941. The new Jewish synagogue is at No.16. Only street set with two anagrams: Kura and Raku.

Karukella (Karukell)

Lit. bear bell. Small pasqueflower, Pulsatilla spp. Likes limestone which is a no-brainer for any flower in Estonia. Also grows in my garden. Not to be confused with karukeel, lit. bear tongue, Anchusa arvensis, the bugloss, a weed. Also grows in my garden. Bugger. One of a meadow flower or grass group. See Kelluka.

Karusambla (Karusammal)

Hair cap moss, Polytrichum spp. See Käolina, see also Karuvildiku. See also, he said, suspicion in his heart, Harusambla.

Karuse (Karune)

Furry, also hairy, shaggy. One of the streets named after the nearby Raku Sovhoos (see Piibri). There was also, incidentally, a Battle of Karuse on the ice off Muhu in 1270 between the Livonian Order and Grand Duchy of Lithuania with, sadly, very few Livonians left to say who won.

Karuslase (Karuslane)

Wood tiger moth, whose full name is teelehe-karuslane (lit. bearlike plantain), Parasemia plantaginis, In the footsteps (literally, see Teelehe) of Biston betularia, males occur in two different color patterns: yellow and white, and are thus studied for selection pressures. Prefer areas somewhat moist. Part of a lepidopteran group. See Kedriku.

Karusmarja (Karusmari)

Gooseberry (lit. bearberry). Group of berry streets near the Liiva kalmistu. See Kuremarja.

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Wanted!

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