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In Stavropol, for more than two years names of city streets are at issue. A number of scholars and historians came out for returning to their original names when the locality and the streets were identified on the grounds of the people living there or of the names of prominent citizens. Three years ago, Stavropol, like many other Russian cities, has lost the status of the historic city. That decision was taken in 2010 by the Government and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. And now, in order to regain that status , Stavropol has to show the presence of the surviving monuments of history and integrity of the historical and cultural city environment. The return of ancient names to the streets will be the first step in this effort and will help, according to a number of citizens, Stavropol to return historical roots and even affect the consciousness of citizens.
The names of streets and squares are a part of the urban organism, like its architecture, levelling, public gardens and parks. Historians believe that the very fact of the deprivation of his ancestral names has an impact on its history. A misguided replacement of old established names could be compared with the demolition of historic monuments.
Age of renaming had been started immediately after the 1917 revolution, but it peaked especially in 1937: when by the decision of the city authorities with " one fell swoop " 250 streets got their new names. The interesting lack of names can be seen in the fact that there were several Stavropol streets with the same name, for example, six Yezhov streets (!!!). The last major event for renaming was undertaken in 1957, when the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a decree " On the Regulation of the name-giving of state and public figures to the territories, regions, districts, cities and towns, enterprises, collective farms, institutions and organizations". At that time, in Stavropol 19 streets had been renamed by removing the names of the previously revered figures such as Mikoyan, Budennyi, Voroshilov ... As a result, for just half a century not only the complete erasure of the historical names took place, but many of the streets were renamed several times. For instance, the Karl Marx prospect was being renamed 12 times (first, Nikolayevsky Prospect, to honour the coming of the Emperor Nicholas II of Russia, then Stalin Prospect, etc.)!!! (quoted from Nikolay Okhonko, director of the Stavropol State Historical and Cultural and Natural Landscape Museum named after N. Prozritelev and GK Prave, SmartNews)
Of the nearly 300 historic, mostly original street names that have emerged to the 20s of the XIX century, only 23 survived. This kind of city "depersonalization" should be considered as terrible! In all Soviet cities the same streets were to be found))))).
Of course, return to the everyday life of the old names of the streets will help the city "to speak the historical language." But, on the other side, what about the simple citizens accustomed to the names which are familiar from childhood? Holus-bolus to study the history of the city to avoid being lost?
Well, the citizens have various opinions and can't take oneway decision.
