Restoration of historical street names in the old city of Fiume/Rijeka

Abstract

Rijeka‑Fiume, European Capital of Culture in 2020, has always been multicultural and multiethnic dating back to its most ancient origins, with the Italian language playing a key role for many centuries. Place names on the most ancient maps of the city are in Italian, just like, for the most part, the street names on the maps drawn up in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, which Tito’s regime substituted with new names, cancelling any trace whatsoever of the historical Italian presence. In view of the appointment of the city as European Capital of Culture in 2020, the city council has launched an interesting cultural project envisaging the restoration of the name Fiume next to Rijeka and the recovery of 31 historical street names, by installing bilingual signs indicating the ancient names of the streets and squares in the town centre. The paper examines a selection of the names that best document the rich and diversified history of the city.