Cultural Crossroads in Toponymy: Case Study of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country that for centuries has been in an area where the influences of large cultural and civilizational spheres are intertwined. This type of influence has left a significant mark on local geographical names. Since the Slavic population has played a dominant cultural role in this area after the Great Migration Period, it is not surprising that most of the local toponyms have Slavic origins. However, the influence of other cultures or languages, such as Illyrian, Latin, Italian, Hungarian, German, and especially Turkish (in combination with Persian and Arabic), is also evident. The Ottoman Empire ruled this area from the 15th to the nineteenth century, which is formation period for most of today's towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina, so many toponyms emerged during that period. Sarajevo as capital city is a well known example. The confessional differences that arose then among the domestic population have persisted to this day, and certain implications of these differences are partly visible through toponymy. This became especially emphasized in some cases in the contemporary context when toponyms gained their ethnopolitical and nationalistic dimension.