For two months, discussions took place in Vladimir about naming the overpass on Rpensky Proezd after Alexander Nevsky. And finally, the Public Chamber of the regional center summed up their results. As expected, opinions were divided between pros and cons. Let’s talk about the most striking arguments of the parties.
According to a participant in the hearing, member of the municipal toponymic commission Dmitry Zhuchenko, the main argument of supporters of naming bridges not only in honor of the great Russian princes, but in general, is that nameless structures do not carry any additional payload at all.
“Their names can serve not only for navigation, but also as an educational function. The more significant territories the bridge connects, the higher its capacity and the more often residents and guests of the regional capital use it, the more serious the structure’s contribution to the urban environment.
Among the key wishes from the townspeople: to cover toponymic attention not only to Alexander Nevsky, but also to other bearers of the princely heritage. There are already proposals for naming future overpasses in honor of Andrei Bogolyubsky and Vsevolod the Big Nest. In addition, there is a need to continue the development of locations around these objects in order to consistently and comprehensively transform the surrounding neighborhoods. And sonorous names will help create a request for an additional tourist route outside the historical core of the city. In addition, only a small street in Vladimir, consisting of only two houses, is named after Alexander Nevsky, which is not significant for the scale of the personality of the Grand Duke.”
But the head of the local history research department of the Central City Library, Lyubov Smetanina, although she initiated the naming of bridges in Vladimir, sending a letter with such a proposal to the toponymic commission back in 2020, does not agree with the idea of naming the new overpass on Rpensky Proezd in honor of Alexander Nevsky. The girl explains why.
“Bridges are not an obvious toponymic object. Of course, it is not at all necessary to give them names. But this practice does occur. However, their names should be carefully considered. First of all, the toponym is intended to localize the structure in space. Of course, this is not the only criterion, but one of the most important. The name should motivate, that is, have some basis for its justification, and obey the rules and norms of the Russian language. Also, if possible, sound original and reflect the most significant characteristics. And also to be harmonious and easy to pronounce,” Lyubov Smetanina gives a brief summary.
Photo courtesy of Lyubov Smetanina
“As for the name of a specific bridge, in my opinion, there are several arguments against it. Alexander Nevsky, of course, was the Grand Duke of Vladimir. However, it is not known whether he actually lived in Vladimir? There is no information about his court, such as, for example, about the court of Andrei Bogolyubsky, Vsevolod III the Big Nest or Yuri Dolgoruky. Nevsky was actively involved, in modern terms, in foreign policy. He spent a lot of time in campaigns and battles. And, probably, unfortunately, he did not leave his mark on the city as brightly as other princes.”
But still, continues Lyubov Smetanina, the body of Alexander Nevsky was initially buried in Vladimir, in the Mother of God Nativity Monastery. Which, thus, in itself became a monument to him. This is the only place in the city connected without any doubt, albeit in such a sad way, with the name of the prince.
But there are other reasons for doubt. We are talking about the very form of the name, or rather, its correctness and convenience.
“It would be correct to say: “bridge named after…”, as well as “street named after…”. But in real life, we not only don’t say that, we don’t even write like that! And names where the name is used in the genitive case mean ownership. Therefore, if you give bridges similar names, then most likely the correct form will not be observed. Probably, in oral speech it will be shortened to “Nevsky Bridge”. But we don’t live in St. Petersburg, and the Neva doesn’t flow in Vladimir. This violates the first principle of toponyms – helping people navigate in space. In addition, it cannot be said that the name of Alexander Nevsky in Vladimir has been forgotten or not sufficiently perpetuated. There is a monastery as his final resting place, churches dedicated to him as a saint, memorial plaques, a bust on the territory of the Vladimir Law Institute, a monument in the city center. The square in which it stands also bears the name of the prince, although few people know about it. Which, by the way, in my opinion, suggests that such a toponym for the bridge may not catch on. It turns out that giving such a name makes no sense,” the girl believes.
“There is a lot of talk about the street named after Alexander Nevsky. They say that its scale – only two houses – is not enough to perpetuate the name of the Grand Duke. But the proposed bridge is not too big in this sense. Not everyone even understands where it begins, where it ends, or whether it exists at all, since it is perceived as part of the road. And there is an overpass in an industrial zone, surrounded by factories and what’s left of them. How does this fit in with the name of the prince? And he himself hardly ever passed through here. That is, such a name has no historical justification.”
But, as they say, if you criticize, make suggestions. Lyubov Smetanina voiced several ideas about what name could be given to the new facility.
“The idea that came not only from me, but also from other people, seems logical – the Krasnoselsky Bridge, since the overpass leads towards the former village of Krasnoye. Gramzavodskoy or simply Zavodskoy is also a more logical proposal, because there are several such objects in the district: the former Gramzavod, the Tochmash plant, a chemical plant, VZPEM. The name “Rpensky Bridge” would also be quite suitable, however, they say that the overpass near “Avtopribor” on Bolshaya Nizhegorodskaya Street has already been named that way. Although this decision has not yet been approved by the City Council, that is, it is not yet official, explains the head of the local history research department of the Central City Library. “And here we need to think again, because people also talk about the “Rpensky” bridge on Pekinka in the area of the “Tandem” market. And this is also one of the main indicators.
I am not arguing that the new bridge over the Rpen River should be called only Krasnoselsky and nothing else, but it is necessary to think very carefully about its name, as well as about the toponyms of other bridges and any objects in general. And if you want to once again immortalize the name of Alexander Nevsky, I would suggest considering the possibility of naming the Wrestling Center, which they wanted to build in Vladimir, in his honor. After all, the All-Russian Sambo Tournament is held in the regional center, and since 1992 it has been called the Alexander Nevsky Cup. I think naming the name of the Grand Duke can serve as an incentive for the construction of a modern, beautiful, large building corresponding to the name.”
The most curious thing in this story is that today the toponymic commission of Vladimir cannot name overpasses at all, much less by the names of people. In order to correct this unfortunate situation, without a solution to which all previous debates will lead to nothing, it has been instructed to convene a working group. It is still unknown who will be part of it. Previously, according to Dmitry Zhuchenko, its first meeting is scheduled for the end of April.
Tags: Krasnoselsky Alexander Nevsky Vladimir deciding bridge Rpensky Proezd
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