“Every street, square and road, even if it only has one house, needs its own name.”

From house numbers to naming streets and squares in Šoštanj

Abstract

The article deals with the naming of Šoštanj streets, from the first enumeration and the first naming in 1931, through the re-naming during the occupation, re-re-naming in 1953 and the changes up to the present. Šoštanj had been the economic and administrative center of the valley of Šaleška dolina since the second half of the 19th century. After it was officially granted city rights in 1911, the conditions for naming the streets and squares were met; however, the process did not begin immediately. The first naming of streets and squares took place in 1931 as the result of growth and urbanization, which later slowed in pace because of the growth of nearby Velenje. The decline stopped only a few years ago. In the past, the streets of Šoštanj were named after important people from Slovenian, Yugoslav and cultural history. After the end of World War II , some streets were named after the fallen fighters of the partisan movement, revolutionaries, communists and national heroes. For clarity, all names are presented in chronological order.