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Rahvamaleva (Rahvamalev)
Voluntary People’s Patrol, Soviet militia helpers. Job limited to low-level policing, corralling drunkards and so on, although a number of them worked on a more fundamental approach to policing by protecting citizens from bar-stool splinters. Soviet occupation renaming (1959-1994) of Hiiu-Maleva. With a history of chronic name change: Started as Ohvitseri (officer), split up into Maleva and Tamme (which used to be Walkre after local houseowner Mr Walker) in 1922 with an interlude as Ava (opening, orifice), and brief flirtations with Taru (see Asula) (1940) and Käolina (1959).
Raamatukogu (Raamatukogu)
Library, public library, lit. book collection. Soviet occupation renaming (1950-1989) of Kiriku. While raamat is a loan from old Pskov and Novgorod Russian гра́мота (gramota, book or writing-paper), borrowed from Greek γράμματα (grammata, letters, evolving into modern ‘grammar’), modern Russian for book is кни́га (kniga, said to trace back through Danube-Bulgarian *küiniv and ancient Turkic *küinig to a Chinese word for ‘scroll’). Interestingly, while this part (loosely) of the world’s history uses birch bark as writing substrate (see Tohu), Germanic languages’ ‘book’ comes from Proto-Germanic *bōk(ō)-, from *bokiz (beech) and Italic languages’ ‘liber’‑type words from Latin librum, the inner bark of trees.
Söe (Süsi)
Coal, charcoal, carbonic. One of a small locomotive-themed group next to Tallinn-Väike station. See Tendri.
Politseiaed (Politseiaed)
Police garden. Located, oddly, opposite the fire station. Today, about 0.24 ha between Gonsiori and Kunderi J., while 100 years ago it was 500 m further east and took up about 1.75 ha, reaching almost as far as Narva and Tartu. Police supervision of gardens was clearly a bigger thing back then, hence the expression: “If you want to mow the thyme, ask a policeman…”
