Placenames in Brussels: past and future

On 14 November 2024, Cegesoma/State Archives hosted a study day on toponymy in Brussels. The initiative was led by the Brussels Studies Institute (BSI), the interdisciplinary network for Brussels studies (EBxl) and Cegesoma/State Archives.

A book

This meeting is now being followed up, starting with the publication of “Les noms de lieux à Bruxelles. Enjeux passés et présents” (Place names in Brussels: Past and present issues) (edited by Iadine Degryse, Benjamin Wayens, Chantal Kesteloot, Dennis De Vriese, and Matthijs Degraeve). Around twenty authors participated in this initiative. The aim is to move beyond the anecdotal stage that long accompanied toponymic research and to focus clearly on the issues of power and urbanization that street names reveal. How do the names of MIVB/STIB, TEC, De Lijn, and NMBS/SNCB stops fit together? What is the standardization of place names? How does the Royal Commission for Toponymy and Dialectology work? How are street names chosen, when, and by whom?

On Monday, 23 March, this book will be presented at a session in the Brussels City Museum on the Grand-Place at 5:00 p.m. As places are limited, please register now via this link if you wish to attend. Feel free to forward this invitation to anyone you know who might also be interested in this topic.

A database

This presentation will coincide with the launch of the OdonIris database, dedicated to odonyms in the Brussels-Capital Region. A series of data has been selected for each of these 5,099 unique placenames. This freely accessible tool will be expanded as research progresses.

A cycle of lectures in French at the Collège Belgique

In addition, certain chapters of this book will be the subject of a presentation as part of a series of lectures (cycle « Nom d’un rue! ») at the Collège Belgique, starting on 24 March. You can find all the details on this page. Here too, please register and pass on the information.