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

Männipark (0)

Sometimes spelled Männi park. Pine park, a park in Mustamäe.

Mänsaku (Mänsak)

Spotted, Eurasian or plain old nutcracker, Nucifraga caryocatactes. Other names include pähklirääk (nut+Räägu), and other variations on a theme, e.g. pähkliraag. Part of the Lilleküla bird-name group of streets. See also Nepi.

Manufaktuuri (Manufaktuur)

After the former Balti Manufaktuur (see Kangru). The street and locality are currently being transformed into yet another residential and business kvartal. The old factory will be rebuilt into some 500 apartments.

Marana (Maran)

Cinquefoil, Potentilla, herb of the rose family. Its English name comes from the French: ‘five-leaves’, and may also be called ‘five-fingers’. Another English name refers to the similarly in appearance but not taste of its fruit: ‘barren strawberry’.

Marati (Jean-Paul Marat, 1743-1793)

Swiss-born French revolutionary, possible inventor of a cure for gonorrhea, friend of Angelika Kauffmann, murdered in bathtub by Charlotte Corday. Clothing factory named after him by Sovietized workers.

Mardi (Diedrich Christian Martens, dates unknown)

Given its history of spelling change – Martena (1885), Martensgasse (1893), Martinstraße (1907), Мартенская ул. (1907), Martenstraße (1913) – the street seems to be named after a landowner with property on the corner of Liivalaia (they no longer connect). At various times in the 19th C, the northern half was named after one or more other individuals called Арефьев or Орехов (Aref'yev or Orekhov) and apparently renamed as Lennuki (1936-1991) during the Soviet occupation. Back in the day (pre-1917ish), the street was also known for its brothels. Ironically, the one at No.3 owned by Madame Jevdokia Blokhina, originally a boarding-house for girls, was later converted into a hospital and today a medical lab and AIDS Prevention Centre.

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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.