In the Yaroslavl region launched the process of renaming Rostov to Rostov the Great

On August 10, in Rostov, Yaroslavl region, the collection of signatures for renaming the city to Rostov the Great began. The initiator was the public chamber of the district with the support of the city authorities. The head of the city administration says that the authors of the idea want to reflect the “centuries-old glory” in the official name. Opponents object that Rostov was never called the Great, and its renaming is explained by “political ambitions.”

In Rostov, Yaroslavl region on August 10 has begun collecting signatures for changing the name of the city. It is planned to be renamed Rostov the Great, said the head of the city administration, Sergei Tikhomirov. The initiator of the renaming is the public chamber of the Rostov region, which created the public movement “For Rostov the Great!”. The collection of signatures for the change of name is carried out in shops, shopping centers, in the market, in the theater and at the stadium. At the same time, the opinion of residents about the renaming of the city will be learned; citizens over the age of 14 can take part in this survey.

According to the head of the city administration, the initiators rely on the experience of Veliky Novgorod, which was renamed in 1999.

“It is equally important for the residents of Rostov to reflect in the official name of the city its centuries-old glory, unique cultural, spiritual and intellectual heritage. For the purity and openness of the renaming process, we need to join forces and go through the procedure prescribed by the legislation of the Russian Federation,” Mr. Tikhomirov said.

According to the head of administration, the name change will not cause inconvenience for residents and organizations, because the replacement of documents, signboards and road signs will not be instantaneous.

“In the minds of many generations of residents of our ancient city, and indeed of all of Russia, our city has always been, is and will be Rostov the Great. Many people are perplexed when they find out that its official name is simply Rostov. For several decades, activists have been making proposals for the official renaming of Rostov, and the time for change has finally come! ”The head of the city wrote on his page “In contact with”.

Not everyone supports the name change attempt. Head of the Architectural Sector of the Museum-Reserve “Rostov Kremlin” Alexander Melnik conversation with a Kommersant correspondent called the addition to the name of the city “false” and “invented.” “Rostov was never called Veliky until the 19th century. This definition was invented by local historians in the second half of the 19th century, solely to separate it from Rostov-on-Don, which then grew up and became famous. Rostov is one of the oldest city names in the country, and now they want to mutilate this name in the name of some kind of political interests, ”said the scientist, emphasizing that he expresses his personal opinion, and not the opinion of the museum.

As Anton Kapralov, deputy chairman of the Yaroslavl Regional Duma, told Kommersant, there is no political reason for renaming, the process has nothing to do with the elections to the regional Duma, which will be held on September 10. The authorities are calm about different opinions, there is no pressure on people.

A similar procedure has already taken place in relation to the city of Tutaev, which planned return the historical name of Romanov-Borisoglebsk. But in 2017, residents voted against it. “We have a negative experience in the region associated with Tutaev. Then the procedure was completely completed, and only at the end they decided to ask people how they feel about it. In that case, people spoke out against it. All these errors must be taken into account first. If the people of Rostov say: “It’s not necessary, it’s not necessary,” then we will simply have to leave this whole story, perhaps for future generations. But if the residents of Rostov support this idea, then this will be a very weighty argument in the discretion of this issue by subsequent bodies,” said Anton Kapralov, adding that the law does not require the opinion of residents to be clarified when renaming.

Alexander Melnik believes that local authorities do not have the right to decide the fate of the name of one of the oldest cities in Russia. “There is a law on the historical city, a small number of cities are listed there, and Rostov is included in them. There are special articles on the part of protection. Secondly, the name of the city is included in the category of intangible cultural heritage. The law was recently signed by the president. Thirdly, since the city is considered a historical city of Russia, not the Yaroslavl region, the decision to rename it cannot be made or even proposed by the local community. It can only be changed at the state level,” added Oleksandr Melnyk.

The scientist believes that the official name, Rostov, and the everyday name, Rostov the Great, can exist in parallel.

According to Anton Kapralov, after collecting signatures and questioning the townspeople, the public chamber intends to appeal to the Yaroslavl Regional Duma. The Duma, after consultations with the governor, the regional public chamber and a number of departments, will develop a federal bill. It is supposed to be sent to the State Duma of Russia. If it passes the law, after approval by the Federation Council, it will be sent to the president for signature.

Anton Golitsyn, Yaroslavl