Place names as an expression of historical and cultural reality. Protection, exploration, popularisation

Abstract

The UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage strongly emphasises the role of oral tradition. However, among the  elements of intangible heritage which it mentioned, toponyms– names of historic, cultural and topographic/natural content – were omitted. This does not mean that they are not under protection. Place names and urbanonyms deserve attention of cultural anthropologists, historians and museologists, not only as research objects, but also as historical sources requiring the same care as other monuments.

In the article I concentrate on the names of Toruń, a city included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and the names of several villages near Toruń. This choice is aimed at presenting the problem of protecting historic names, the necessity of restoring the names eradicated from terminology and assigning toponyms used in colloquial speech.
My reflections are the result of research carried out as part of my work in the Ethnographic Museum in Toruń. It is based on interaction with members of the local community, activists of local organisations and officials. The experiences gained from these contacts prove that the awareness of the value of historic place names and the knowledge of the law on the preservation of historic monuments are still very low. Hence the need for cultural anthropologists’ work. However, it should involve not only discovering toponyms and creating a catalogue of historic names, but also education, which can be provided in the dialogue with our interlocutors.