Political determinants of renaming in urbanonymy of north-eastern Poland in historical perspective

Zofia Abramowicz, Leonarda Dacewicz - BiałystokUrban place names are a chronicle of the history of a given territory and its inhabitans. They are evidence of crucial changes occurring over a long period of time, especially in the borderland area, to which the region of Mazury (towns: Ełk, Olecko, Gołdap), a part of the north-eastern Poland belongs. Over years the region was a territory of contention between Poland and Prussia, during the Second Word War it was under German occupation, since 1945 it was within the borders of PRL (the Polish People’s Republic), in the sphere of Russian influence. In 1989 the period of independence and statehood transformations began. In each period the mechanisms of giving new names to town objects and the changing the existent ones were similar. They reflected the culture of the nation, important events, historical figures, ideas and values in a given period. Giving names commemorating various, ofen controversial figures of political life such as generals and political leaders, was closely connected with the current Policy of the state authorities.Zofia Abramowicz - abramowicz.zofia208@gmail.com; Leonarda Dacewicz - Ldacewicz@interia.pl1218719