Łódzkie urbonimy w okresach utraty niepodległości

Abstract

The article discusses urban place names in Łódź in three historical period when Poland was not independent: during the partitions, the First World War, and the Second World War. The analysis focused on ways of German and Russian intervention into urban place naming in Łódź. It describes naming techniques (translations of Polish names, adaptations to foreign phonetic and writing systems, renaming) and the goals of foreign intervention into Polish place naming. The conclusion is that Russian and German interventions during the partitions and the first world war were mainly aimed at cultural assimilation, and consisted in use of Russified and Germanized forms. During the Second World War, on the other hand, Germans were consistently instilling elements of Nazi-German culture and history in place names.