Mikhail Viktorovich Shilovsky,

Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Institute of History of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

“Where is this Street…”: Formation and Development of Street Networks in Siberian Cities in the 17^th − First Quarter of the 21^st Century on the Example of Novonikolaevsk-Novosibirsk

 DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2026-1-20

 The article examines the assignment and renaming of street names, squares, and alleys in Siberian cities from the 17^th century to the first quarter of the 21^st century. This process was accompanied by changes in the city’s layout. Outskirts and vacant lots were developed, and new neighborhoods, streets, and blocks were created in their place. The study focuses on Novosibirsk (formerly Novonikolaevsk). Since the city was founded in the late 19^th century, the specific features of spatial changes in its layout are demonstrated using the example of the old-established cities of Tomsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Omsk, and Biysk. These settlements are used to compare and identify common patterns in the evolution of the toponymic objects in Novosibirsk. The situation in the analyzed segment of urban studies has changed dramatically since the end of the 19^th century, and the development of Novonikolayevsk-Novosibirsk can be considered a clear manifestation of this. At first, local city names were dominated by geographical features, as well as specialized toponyms: confessional, professionally oriented, and personal. The establishment of Soviet power led to a wave of renaming in the 1920s, reflecting the new ideological approaches. Subsequently, the processes of industrialization, the miltarization of the economy, and the Great Patriotic War influenced the urban toponymy. These factors led to frequent renaming and the formation of “chains” that reflect fluctuations in the political climate.

Publishing: 28/02/2026

The article has been received by the editor on 17/05/2025

Original article >

How to cite: Shilovskiy M.V. “Where is this Street…”: Formation and Development of Street Networks in Siberian Cities in the 17^th − First Quarter of the 21^st Century on the Example of Novonikolaevsk-Novosibirsk // Historical Courier, 2026, No. 1 (45), pp. 242−256. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2026/ISTKURIER-2026-1-20.pdf]

The article was made on the topic of the state assignment “The Siberian Society as a Factor of Russia’s Territorial Growth and Unity (Late 16^th − Early 20^th Centuries)” (FWZM-2024-0007).

Links: Issue 1 2026

Keywords: Siberian city; urban toponymy; street names; Novonikolayevsk-Novosibirsk