The street names of Cluj/Kolozsvár and Braşov/Brassó in the last 150 years

Abstract

The street names of Cluj/Kolozsvár and Braşov/Brassó in the last 150 years

The street names in the Transylvanian towns remained unchanged from their first naming until the mid 19th century. Since then, street names have changed several times, mainly because of the border, regime, and ethnic changes. This makes the relevant period for studying street name changes in Transylvania the last 150 years (since 1867). This article begins with an overview of the technical terms used. Based on the naming process, streets could be named by convention or authorities. Based on the relation between the street and the name, the street name can be of a functional or symbolic name (it reflects the characteristics of the street, or there is no connection between them). Finally, based on the content of the name, a street name can be neutral or commemorative (independent or dependent of regimes). After this, the author presents two case studies: Cluj/Kolozsvár and Braşov/Brassó/Kronstadt, the first being typical of Northern Transylvania, the second of Southern Transylvania. Next, the author analyzes the changes of the street names in the two city centres, in each period, the proportions of changes, and the name categories (functional – neutral, functional – commemorative, symbolic – commemorative, and symbolic – neutral names). The article ends with a brief overview of the usage of official, minority, historical, and vernacular street names in Transylvania.