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Suur-Kloostri (Suur-Klooster)
Greater/Upper Abbey (convent, monastery, cloister...). After the Cistercian St. Michael’s Convent, Mihkli Klooster (1249-1629). Renamed (1950-1987) as Nooruse during the Soviet occupation.
Väike-Ameerika (Väike-Ameerika)
[Small, Lesser, Lower] America. Renamed (1950-1991) Kiire during the Soviet occupation. Lesser street in a set of 3, including Suur-Ameerika and Kesk-Ameerika,
Suur-Ameerika (Suur-Ameerika)
Greater/Upper America. First recorded in 1877 as Große Amerikastraße after local inn called Wirt(h)shaus America (the ‘h’ is Kivi’s) on the corner of this street and Pärnu. However, a look at the 1880s Neuer Plan der Gouvernements Stadt Reval (detail below) reveals a numbe of details: 1) the Bierbrauerei (brewery) located at the SW end of Tõnismägi; 2) a side street between Antonis Berg (today’s Tõnismägi) and Amerikastraße (today’s Suur-Ameerika) which the 1922 Topograafia Jaoskkonna Tallinna Linna Plaan identifies as Õllepruuli; and 3) the then Suur-Ameerika (which now connects with Liivalaia, ±100 m further south) veered NE at about the same point as today’s Õllepruuli starts. This created the 4-street crossroads of Suur-Ameerika, Õllepruuli, Antonis Berg (now Tõnismägi) and Pärnu, so the Wirtshaus America and Bierbrauerei may well have been one and the same. Main street in a set of 3, including Kesk-Ameerika and Väike-Ameerika, later spawning Uue Maailma. Renamed (1950-1991) as Komsomoli during the Soviet occupation.
Detail from map of 1880s Tallinn showing Suur-Ameerika tänav and Pärnu maantee along with the Bierbrauerei (brewery) which may be the Wirthaus America (America Inn) of records.
Close-up detail from map of 1880s Tallinn highlighting the Suur-Ameerika tänav, Antonis berg and Pärnu maantee crossroads with the Bierbrauerei (brewery) in the middle.
Close-up details of the 1922 Tallinn map Topograafia Jaoskkonna Tallinna Linna Plaan naming Õllepruuli street at the Suur-Ameerika, Tõnismägi and Pärnu maantee crossroads.
Suur Rannavärav (0)
Greater/Upper coastal gate. First known as vanilla Ranna värav (1885), followed by Große Strandpforte (1907) then Suur-Rannavärava tänav, Great coastal-gate street, until 1987. Eliminating the tänav to call it Suur Rannavärav, Great coastal gate, loses it its dash, but not its elegance. Northernmost of the two ‘Coastal gates’: if there were only 2 of them, shouldn’t it be ‘northernmore’? See Väike Rannavärav.
