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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.

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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!

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Pidu (0)

Festival, feast, banquet, public celebration. Odd, the genitive of pidu is peo, and Laulupeo (1923) corrected itself two years after initially naming itself Laulupidu, and this was created in 1927... Crosses Leina suggesting the ‘party’ might actually have been the wake... But, no, named for nearby square hosting folk festivals, the nominative hinting at a longer history of festival usage.

Pihlaka (Pihlakas)

Aka harilik pihlakas, rowan, common or European rowan, mountain ash, Sorbus aucuparia. Considered a holy tree. Its berries are an important food for many Estonian birds. Group of berry streets near the Liiva kalmistu. See Pihlamarja.

Pihlamarja (Pihlamari)

Alternative name for pihlakamari, the rowanberry, 3 of which are native to Estonia:

  • Harilik pihlakas, aka pihelgas, pihlak, pihl, pihlapuu and probably others, rowan or mountain-ash, Sorbus aucuparia
  • Tuhkpihlakas, rock whitebeam, S. rupicola (some confusion as to Latin name)
  • Valge pihlakas, whitebeam or common whitebeam, S. aria, aka Aria edulis
  • Poop or Pooppuu (the titterlicious poop:pooba does not seem to occur elsewhere in Estonian and is thought to derive from either MLG bȫke or Swed. bok [beech], and Puu will tell you more so get your mind out of the gutter), Swedish whitebeam, Scandosorbus intermedia

Group of berry streets near the Liiva kalmistu. See Pohla.

Pihlametsa (Pihlamets)

Rowan wood, grove.

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