The Institute of National Memory insists on renaming Bashtanka as part of decolonization: locals are asked to submit their suggestions

Building of the Bashtan City Council, photo: press service of the City Hall

Residents of the city of Bashtanka are asked to complete a survey and provide proposals for renaming the settlement.

The relevant survey is posted on the official website of the Bashtanka city territorial community, writes NikVesti.

In addition to the name of the city, the street «Pershoho travnia» (1st May, — note.) also falls under the renaming. Options can be submitted until January 21.

«In order to take into account the opinion of the public regarding the renaming of the city of Bashtanka and the name of the street «1 Travnia», we offer to take an online survey and express your opinion. The survey will last until January 21 inclusive,» says the description of the questionnaire.

It should be noted that this was preceded by recommendations given by the Institute of National Remembrance to rename the city within the framework of the law on decolonization and prohibition of propaganda of Russian imperial policy. In the description of the document, the Institute notes that local authorities must submit proposals for new names for settlements to the Verkhovna Rada by January 27, 2024.

The UINP argues for changing the name of Bashtanka by the fact that the city was named in honor of the «Bashtanka Republic», proclaimed in 1919 in Bashtanka Balka by local Bolsheviks. Before it was renamed in 1928, it was then the village of Poltavka.

However, it is worth noting that during the times of the Russian Empire, the name «Bashtanka» was used alongside the name Poltavka. Evidence of this fact is, in particular, historical maps.

Maps of the times of the late Russian Empire, photo: Delo.ua

The UINP recommendations were developed in August 2023. But this is not the first time that the Institute indicates the need to change the name of Bashtanka. Before the full-scale invasion in 2019, the body also raised this topic.

On the other hand, there was no mention of Bashtanka in the list of renaming of settlements of the National Commission for State Language Standards, developed in June 2023.

Decolonization in Mykolaiv Oblast

As you know, the Mykolaiv Oblast recommends revising the names of the cities of Pervomaisk, Yuzhnoukrainian and 57 villages due to non-compliance with the standards of the state language.

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After that, public discussions about renaming the city started in Pervomaisk. The townspeople were asked to choose a name from five proposed options: Olviopol, Bohopol and Holta, Olvia or Pershotravensk.

Only on December 30, the deputies decided to offer the Verkhovna Rada at once two options for the name of the city: Olviopol, or to keep the same name, Pervomaisk. Olviopol was the leader in local polls.

The city of Yuzhnoukrainn has not yet decided on the proposals. The deputies want to propose two names to the Verkhovna Rada at once: Pivdennoukrainsk and Hard. At the meeting of the last session, they did not have enough votes.

In mid-December 2023 , the final list of options for new street names to be renamed was formed in the Snihurivka community after public discussions. The second stage of electronic voting has begun.

As part of the law on decolonization, 42 streets in the Snihurivka community will be renamed.