Five Cities which have Changed their Names
Some of the best-known cities in the world haven’t always been known by their current names – which may be useful to know if you are considering moving there and want to impress your new neighbours with your local knowledge. One of the cities has even had a song dedicated to its new title.
Here The Moving Partnership puts the spotlight on five cities which have changed their names, the reasons behind the switch – and why they have something else in common.
1. Istanbul
If you are thinking of removals to Istanbul, then the Turkish city (pictured) has had a lot of previous names, with Constantinople probably being the most famous of them. The original name was chosen when the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great — the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity — named it Constantinople after himself around the year 330.
However, the city later became part of the Ottoman Empire and Istanpolin, a Turkish word meaning ‘to the city’ eventually morphed into Istanbul. The official name change only came in 1930, seven years after the Republic of Turkey was founded.
Istanbul (Not Constantinople) is the title of a 1953 novelty song, written on the 500th anniversary of the city’s fall to the Ottoman empire. Various versions have been recorded but the original (by The Four Lads) is the most successful.
2. New York
If you are considering international removals to New York, it may help you to know that Dutch explorers settled on what we now know as the southern tip of Manhattan in the 17th century. Perhaps not surprisingly, they named the city New Amsterdam.
However, when the city came under English control in the 1660s King Charles II granted the lands to his brother, the Duke of York. So New Amsterdam became New York in 1664, and the name has stuck. The duke later became King James II of England (and King James VII of Scotland).
3. Toronto
This has similarities with New York – it was originally called York by the British in 1793. It was named after the then Duke, who is more famous for being the subject of the nursery rhyme The Grand Old Duke of York.
However, when it was captured by the Americans in the War of 1812, the city was renamed Toronto, which was what it was called by the various tribes who originally made up the indigenous population of the area. The decision followed a petition of the area’s residents - and Toronto officially became a city in 1834.
More recently there have been moves to use Tkaronto as an alternate name for the city, as a further nod to the city's indigenous history. It’s a very cosmopolitan city – and at The Moving Partnership we can help with international removals to Toronto.
4. Beijing
The Chinese capital has, like Istanbul, had several former names. The most famous of these is Peking, which literally translates (in Chinese) as ‘Northern capital’. In 1979 the country’s ruling Communist Party encouraged the country’s residents to go by the ‘pinyin’ version – spelling the name of the city the way it is pronounced in Chinese.
This gradually spread across the rest of the world. At The Moving Partnership we can help with international removals to Beijing.
5. Oslo
Some cities have changed their names then changed them back again. For instance, the Norwegian capital Oslo (which was originally named Anslo by the Vikings) became Christiania in the 17th century. This is because the city was destroyed by fire in 1624 and it was rebuilt during the reign of King Christian, who was originally Danish.
However, when it was rebuilt, the city became a much larger settlement, incorporating a village which had retained the name of Oslo, and in 1925 it reverted to the original name. Norwegians felt it was inappropriate for their capital to be named after someone from Denmark.
International Removals with The Moving Partnership
So, apart from the name changes, New York, Istanbul, Toronto and Beijing all have something else in common - the fact that The Moving Partnership can help you move to all of them. More information about our international removals can be found here; if you want to learn more about our European removals you can click on this link.
If your possessions need to be shipped to their new destination, then we generally offer a choice of full container loads, part-loads (which are shared with other consignments) and air freight for smaller, and more valuable items. You can kick off the whole process by booking one of our video surveys.
