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, many entries missing, no photos with the streets yet, layout not finalized...

This started with a book (last few pages under review) and so far 1786 of the 1882 articles (A to most of T & Vs included) entered so far, so some 10% of the links 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

Loode

Loode (Loe)

North-west, northwesterly (also high tide, neap tide or, plural, looded, tide, ebb and flow). Also noordvest or nordvest among sailors. Compass point with a twist! Loode is possibly derived from Proto-Finnic *loodeh giving Finnish luode, northwest (itself possibly related to Finnish luoja, creator, or to a hypothetical verb such as *luotaa, to descend), Karelian luuveh for west or southwest, Livonian lūod and Ludian luodeh for vanilla west, and back to Veps and Votic with lode / lodeh and loo / looto / looõ for northwest or west, or just as possibly derived from MLG lēden, to lead, and cognate with modern English lode. During the Middle Ages, the ‘Viking compass’ was rotated some 45° to 60° clockwise from the true, geographical compass, with norðr referring to northeast, not north, and northwest thus pointing north to the Lodestar (aka Polaris or North Star), which might explain why Estonian has actual, i.e. non-compound, names for the intercardinal directions (NE, SE, etc.) which, for them, were cardinal, see Edela. Formerly (1885-1923) Nürnbergi. See also Vesikaare.

Looga

Looga (Look)

Arch, crook, also horse-bow or shaft-bow. A geometrical street-name group. See also Nurklik.

Lõokese

Lõokese (Lõoke[ne])

Lark. Various inclinations breed in Estonia:

  • Nõmmelõoke, wood lark, Lullula arborea
  • Põldlõoke, skylark, Alauda arvensis
  • Sarviklõoke, horned lark, Eremophila alpestris
  • Stepilõoke, calandra lark, Melanocorypha calandra
  • Tuttlõoke, crested lark, Galerida cristata
  • Välja-väikelõoke, greater short-toed lark, Calandrella brachydactyla

To imitate a skylark, the sound you make is Liiri lõõri, so the nursery rhyme (Pöide region) goes like this:

Liiri-lõõri lõokene,
Piiri-pääri pääsukene,
Lenda üle meie kesa,
Rääste alla punu pesa.*

Part of the Lilleküla bird-name group of streets. See also Meika.

* You translate it!

  1. Looklev
  2. Loometsa
  3. Loomuse
  4. Loopealse

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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.