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

Kuradivanaema torn (0) Symbol designating a Point of Interest.

Devil’s Grandmother’s Tower. See Kuradi torn.

Munkadetagune torn (0) Symbol designating a Point of Interest.

The tower behind the monks, an unsavory location to say the least. See also Neitsitorn.

Nunnatorn (0) Symbol designating a Point of Interest.

Nun’s Tower. Name first recorded 1738 but, built 1311-20, also known at one stage as de nie torn. Nie has an intriguing history. In MLG, it basically meant ‘new’, so New Tower? It was once, so why not? It is also what linguists call a ‘babbling’ or ‘nursery’ word for a variety of care-givers: Welsh nain (grandmother), Persian nana (mother), Greek νάννα (nanna, female cousin or aunt), Russian няня (njanja, nanny, nurse or babysitter), and even Sorbian nan (father). But this also gave Latin nunnus and nunna (monk and nun). So although there is the obvious probability of it originally meaning ‘nun’, it might also have been a fortuitous coincidence. See also Paks Margareeta.

Saunatagune torn (0) Symbol designating a Point of Interest.

Tower behind the baths/sauna. Little of the tower remains today, barely the ground floor, inside a house on Nunne. See also Stoltingi torn.

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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.

Sponsorship logo top bare

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.