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

Lemle (Lemmel)

Duckweed, gibbous or otherwise, but in Estonia probably common duckweed, Lemna minor. Other names include konnaläätsed (frog lentils), seauba (pig bean), päevaseep (day soap), and, curiously, tiigieile (pond last-nighter / yesterdayer), thus named due to it being a ‘short-day plant’ requiring a critical minimum length of night to flower. Small aquatic-plant group in the Kakumäe peninsula. See Särjesilma.

Lemmiku (Lemmik)

Favorite, darling. Parallel to Sõbra. There is another Lemmiku on Aegna, but this time it’s Lemmiku Nina, lit. Darling (favorite) nose, or rather point, spit or headland. Street name with longest (?) anagram: Kummeli.

Leningradi (Leningrad)

Soviet renaming of the city of Saint-Petersburg (name we’ll prefer to use), and Soviet occupation renaming (1948-1992) of Peterburi.

Lenini

(Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, 1870-1924)

Born Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Владимир Ильич Ульянов), his adopted name of Lenin seems to come from the River Lena but it’s not sure why. Graphomaniac (55 thick volumes of writings published, see Säde), Russian revolutionary and proud owner of a 1916 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. Soviet occupation renaming of Kaubamaja (?-1991) and Rävala (1950-1991).

Lennujaama (Lennujaam)

Airport. Tallinn is one of Europe’s rarer capitals where you can actually walk to the airport. Well, not if you live in Portugal, but you know what I mean.

Lennuki (Lennuk)

1) Originally, the name of Kalevipoeg’s ship; 2) Airplane, aircraft. Name also given to one of two Russian destroyers (this one, ‘Avtroil’, built, ironically, by Tallinn shipbuilders Bocker and Lange with help from France) hijacked by the British and offered to Estonia in 1919, then flogged to Peruvian Navy in 1933, and scrapped in 1954. See Vambola. Also Soviet occupation renaming (1936-1991) of Mardi.

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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.