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!

Home

Seemne (Seeme)

Seed, also semen, sperm, but that would be a slippery path for any street-name commission to take, but see Kalevala.

Värvi (Värv)

Color, paint, dye, tint, hue. Along with Laki, after local dye factory.

Ronga (Ronk)

Also known as Kaaren (see Kaarna), the common raven, or just plain raven, or corbie, Corvus corax. Name of Baltic-Finnish origin, cognate of Livonian kronk and related to both Livvi-Karelian kronkuttua and Lithuanian krankti, to croak. Why a language obsessed with the letter ‘k’ (about 15% of Estonian words begin with this) would drop it is curious. Part of the Lilleküla bird-name group of streets. See also Rähni.

 

 

Sõstra (Sõstar)

Currant. Three varieties indigenous to Estonia:

  • Mage sõstar (lit. ‘bland’ currant, it is rather tasteless), alpine currant, Ribes alpinum
  • Must sõstar, common-or-garden blackcurrant, R. nigrum
  • Karvane sõstar (lit. ‘furry’ currant), rarer, the wild or downy currant, R. spicatum
  • Punane sõstar, the redcurrant, R. rubrum, will grow, with a little encouragement.

One of a group of berry streets in Lilleküla Sub-district. See also Vaarika.

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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.