Legend
Patika and the cabmen's whisks
Patika ja patakad
Patika, near Jüri, is one of the villages listed in the Danish Census Book of 1241, and by the 13th century it belonged to St John's almshouse in Tallinn. The origin of its name is unclear, probably an ancient personal name, but a local explanation written down in 1914 ties it to Tallinn's cab drivers. They always carried small brooms of birch twigs called 'patakad', which they used to beat and sweep the dust off their cab and sledge rugs. The cottagers of Patika made most of these whisks and sold them in Tallinn, so the village came to be called Pataka and later Patika.
Open it on the map See the spot on the old maps and as it is today
Eesti keeles
Jüri lähedal asuv Patika on üks 1241. aasta Taani hindamisraamatus nimetatud küladest ja kuulus juba XIII sajandil Tallinna Jaani seegile. Nime päritolu on hämar, tõenäoliselt muistne isikunimi, kuid 1914. aastal kirja pandud kohalik seletus seob selle Tallinna voorimeestega. Nemad kandsid alati kaasas väikesi kasevitstest luudasarnaseid kimpe, patakaid, millega pekseti ja pühiti troska ja saani tekkidelt tolmu. Neid valmistasid ja viisid Tallinna müüki peamiselt Patika saunamehed, ja nii hakati küla kutsuma Patakaks, hiljem Patikaks.
Source: After Eesti kohanimeraamat (EKI), tradition recorded 1914 ↗