Scholarly record

OSIJEK AND MUSICIANS: STREET NAMING IN SOCIAL, REGIONAL AND EUROPEAN CONTEXT

A. Popovic, I. Bogut, Z. Popovic

Abstract

Osijek is one of the bigger cities in Croatia, and is considered to be the capital of eastern region of the country. Orientation to the European cultural values and the affiliation to the Austro-Hungarian cultural circle are often mentioned as the part of its identity. Today’s city administration states that their mission is to “develop Osijek as a European metropolis influencing the entire macro-region where it belongs geographically “. Also, their vision is „Osijek - a city of satisfied people … an economically developed, university and cultural center of the Osijek-Baranja County and Eastern Croatia, which is integrated in contemporary European trends” [10]. This paper explores how much are these cultural values incorporated in everyday life in Osijek, by examining the names of the urban toponyms (streets) of Osijek, as we can consider naming of the streets to be a reflection of the social tendencies of the city. On the example of naming the streets to the deserving musicians, we can measure how important the culture in the city is, and how much is Osijek considered to be a part of the European, Croatian, or regional and local cultural milieu. It is significant that only 14 streets are named after the deserving musicians. Only one street is named after an international musician, 50 % of the streets are named after musicians that are not locally or regionally connected to Osijek, but are very important in developing Croatian cultural identity. Osijek also tries to impose itself as a regional center, as can be seen in street names: 21% carry names of musicians who are regionally important, but have no concrete links with Osijek, and finally 29% were named after local musicians. This analysis shows us that despite the nominal tendencies to put Osijek in European context, the city of Osijek still defines itself primarily as a Croatian city, and secondary as a regional center and a local community.

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