Viiralti E.

(Eduard Viiralt [Wiiralt], 1898-1954)

One of Estonia’s more outstanding artists, born in St Petersburg province. A “sympathetic, balanced and humble man” (Toivo Miljan: Historical Dictionary of Estonia), Viiralt spent most of his life in Paris (and, buried in Père-Lachaise cemetery, death too), travelling widely, leaving a significant collection of drawings and prints. It has been suggested that absinthe was not a million miles away from his copperplate of Põrgu, Hell. Has a tree in Viljandi named after him for a 1943 drawing he did, Viljandi maastik (Viljandi landscape), a copy of which recently sold at auction for just over €11,000. Street previously known as Janseni, Jannseni, etc, (1924-59), see Jannseni J.V.

Reimani V. (Villem Reiman, 1861-1917)

Sometimes spelled Reimanni. Clergyman, poet and co-founder of Tartu-based newspaper Postimees. Soviet occupation renaming (1957-1991) along with Kivisilla as Anveldi J.

Vahuri (Vahur)

Father of Tambeti, hence the hero Jaanus’ grandfather, in Bornhöhe E.’s novel Tasuja. One of the former names of Lehola. The street was originally scheduled to be called Jüriöö, but a local entrepreneur (and locals do have a certain veto over local names) claimed that we poor foreigners would never be able to pronounce it, let alone type it into a satnav, and that would be bad for business. An interesting point already raised in Pääsukese.