Identification of the oldest toponyms (geonyms) in the Western Carpathians using the example of the Low Tatras (Slovakia)

• Authors: Pavel Hronček , Bohuslava Hrončeková Gregorová

Title variants

SK

Identifikácia najstarších toponým (geoným) v Západných Karpatoch na príklade Nízkych Tatier (Slovensko)

• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The study analyzes the historical topography identified in historical documents from the thirteenth century relating to the Low Tatras’ main ridge’s toponyms, which lies in the Carpathian arch’s western part in Central Europe in Slovakia. Individual historical toponyms were identified with the current toponyms (used in the official nomenclature) and located in the landscape after their identification in the archive materials. As ‘terminus technicus’, it was used for the general designation of a mountain range (or part of it), in some cases also in the meaning of mountain pastures (hole), the Latin word alpes or alpe. The oldest oronym related to the Low Tatras’ main ridge is the name of the summit of Golich (Golischa vocatorum) from 1260 (Kráľova hoľa). In a document from 1380, there is an expression Hÿdeghawas for naming mountain pastures, which we can identify with Ďumbier. Another name of Ďumbier, Schneberg, according to the German nomenclature, dates from 1567. The name Dumbirowa hola was used in 1570. For the first time, one name for the whole mountain range in the form of Nižnie Tatry appears only in the 19th century in connection with the published results of geological and partly also geographical research of the geologist Dionýz Štúr.

Keywords

EN

toponyms; Western Carpathians; Low Tatras Mts.; Slovakia

• Publisher: Institute of the Czech Language, Czech Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Acta onomastica
• Year: 2025
• Volume: 66
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 392-410
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Pavel Hronček

• Ústav pro jazyk český AV ČR, v. v. i., Letenská 123/4, 118 51 Praha 1, Czech Republic

author

Bohuslava Hrončeková Gregorová

• Ústav pro jazyk český AV ČR, v. v. i., Letenská 123/4, 118 51 Praha 1, Czech Republic