Following the trace of Belgrade’s old building names: Pirincana and/or Pirinc-han

Abstract

This paper is dedicated to the names of two old buildings, which used to be situated in Dorcol. Pirincana was one of the names of a residence of the Austrian commander of Belgrade (1717-1739). During Ottoman rule, Pirinc-han was one of the names for a building used as a trading post. During Austrian rule, army pharmacies were situated in Pirinc-han. Confusion caused by the similar names of these two buildings brought many issues relating to their identification, location and dates of demolition. Due to the fact that the names Pirincana and Pirinc-han have not been the subject of particular language research, we will focus on the determination of the origin of the aforementioned buildings. The motivation for the naming of Pirinc-han is most likely derived from the period?s other hans in different parts of the Ottoman Empire. They got their name due to rice trading that was once conducted there. There exist two hypotheses as to the origin of the lexeme pirincana, the name of the aforementioned building. As the motivation for the naming, pirinc or pirinac (brass) could be claimed. In both cases morphological adaptation led to the subsequent resemantization. There is no doubt that Pirincana was one of the names of a residence of the Austrian commander in Belgrade. Furthermore, some historians incorrectly claim that the name Pirincana is just a synonym for Pirinc-han, because there are many sources leading to the con?firmation that the residence of the commander was also named Pirincana among the populace.