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

Vormsi (Vormsi)

Fourth largest island in Estonia, between Hiiumaa and mainland. Along with neighboring mainland region of Noarootsi (Sw. Nuckö, poss. From Est. nukk:nuka, point/tip, i.e. cape, of which there are many), historical colonial homeland to Swedes known as Rannarootsi (coastal Swedes or, in Sw. Estlandssvenskar, Estonian Swedes) until WWII when most were evacuated or escaped to Sweden. Its original Swedish name, Ormsö, Snake/Worm island, with possible influence of its German name Worms, seems to have generated its Estonian counterpart through vernacular pronunciation of foreign words. Previously also called Hiiurootsi saar, Swedish Hiiumaa island. Part of an Estonian island group, see Aegna.

Võrgu V.

(Vassili Võrk, 1898-1977)

Colonel of the 8th Estonian Tallinn Rifle Corps (or Lieutenant Colonel of the 300th Rifle Regiment), commandant of Tallinn for three days in September 1944, the story of him converting three Red Army gentlemen attempting to acquire high-discount vodka from the Rosen (now Liviko) distillery into definitive teetotalers may well be apocryphal. Soviet occupation renaming (1979-1995) of Arbu.

Võru (Võru)

Town, region and dialect in south-eastern Estonia. May also be spelled Võro. Although võru also means ring, band, hoop or collar, it’s unlikely to be the origin of this street name, see discusion of Võru under Viru tänav.

Võsa (Võsa)

Brushwood, scrub, coppice, bosquet.

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Wanted!

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