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

Kerese P.

(Paul Keres, 1916-1975)

Estonian Chess-Master, for some, the “Paganini of chess”, for Spassky the “Pope of chess”, for others, a face on a 5-krooni note (for information on Estonian currency, see Krooni). Chess in Estonian is male, a word invented by Ado Grenzstein in the late 19th C. Street replacing and/or extending the SE section of Õie in 1976.

Kesa (Kesa)

Fallow. Street perpendicular to Mullamaa.

Kesalille (Kesalill)

Mayweed. Two species in Estonia:

  • harilik kesalill, scentless/false mayweed, etc., Tripleurospermum inodorum
  • rand-kesalill, false or sea mayweed, T. maritimum

One of a meadow flower or grass group. See Koldrohu.

Kesk-Ameerika (Kesk-Ameerika)

Central America. Give or take a meter or two, connects Suur-Ameerika and Väike-Ameerika. Once known (1913) as Neue Alimannstraße (don’t ask) whose single claim to fame is a 1911-11-09 newspaper report that, paraphrasing, Wäsche wird gestohlen, some laundry was nicked from No.28. Renamed (1959-1991), apparently bizarrely (but actually fitting into a ‘skyscape’ group), as Kuu during the Soviet occupation.

Kesk-Kalamaja (Kesk-Kalamaja)

Central Kalamaja. Not that central at all, but I suppose South-Eastern Kalamaja is a bit of a mouthful, as is Kagu-Kalamaja too.

Kesk-Luha (Kesk-Luha)

Mid-Luha (qv), about which there seems not much to say... other than mildly rant about Estonia’s perception of what a ‘street’ actually is… See About the Dictionary.

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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.