hidden europe 49

Recalling Tito

by hidden europe

Summary

From Skopje to Moscow, from Sarajevo to New Delhi, the names of roads and squares recall Josep Broz Tito, who was President of Yugoslavia from 1953 until his death in 1980. But what happened to all the Tito towns in former Yugoslavia? Titograd became Podgorica. And the others?

In the feature that follows, author Laurence Mitchell makes reference to the manner in which the name of the Serbian town of Uzice was for many years prefixed with an homage to Yugoslavian president Josip Broz Tito. From 1946 until 1992, the town’s official name was Titovo Uzice. At various times between 1945 and 1983, seven towns in Yugoslavia changed their names to include reference to the Yugoslav leader, and an eighth town was entirely renamed in honour of President Tito. That was Podgorica, the largest city in Montenegro, which from 1946 until 1992 was called Titograd. By 1997 the last of the Tito prefixes had been dropped.

This is just an excerpt. The full text of this article is not yet available to members with online access to hidden europe. Of course you can read the full article in the print edition of hidden europe 49.
Related note

Echoes of Mostar

The death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski on Saturday brings to mind that this is not the first time that the Head of State of a European country has died abroad in a plane crash.

Related note

Lamb soup galore

Lamb soup is a staple in some parts of Europe, but utterly unknown elsewhere. In Iceland, lamb soup has the status of a national dish. That lamb soup was once judged to be the perfect remedy for dysentery was new to us.

Related article

Bosna-gauge Railways

Had the Balkan region narrow-gauge rail network survived, it would surely today be a cherished asset in promoting tourism over a wide region - in much the same way as the narrow-gauge Rhaetian Railway network has been important in attracting visitors to the Graubünden region of eastern Switzerland.