Osvrt na topografiju i toponimiju Valpova u srednjem vijeku
A review of topography and toponymy of Valpovo in the Middle Ages

Summary/Abstract: The paper deals with the issues of topography and toponymy of the medieval localities in the Valpovo area, namely the medieval towns of Valpovo and Željanovci (Zelenovac), as well as the localities mentioned in the medieval sources as Eghazaswalpo (a Hungarian name that can be translated into English as ‘Church Valpovo’) and Gradisca (or Gueredystha). The paper brings a brief overview of works that touched upon the issue of topography of the aforesaid localities. The authors do not share a common view on the locations of Valpovo, Željanovci and Eghazaswalpo. It is mostly because the medieval documents relevant to the subject are scarce and they allow for different interpretations, at least to some extent. The only fact that we can be certain of is the location of Željanovci, because the sources explicitly place this town in the suburb of the Valpovo castle. A careful analysis of the sources leads to the conclusion that the town of Valpovo was not in the vicinity of the Valpovo castle, but most likely some 2 km to the Northeast, on the site of the present day Staro Valpovo. As for Eghazaswalpo, the sources do not indicate its location in any way. The paper also discusses the toponymy of these three localities, especially the toponym „Željanovci“, because the form commonly accepted in the Croatian historiography is „Zelenovac“, which is disputed here. Finally, the paper reviews the issue of Gradisca (or Gueredystha), a locality found in the documents that come from the 13th and the early 14th century, a period before Valpovo castle and towns of Valpovo and Željanovci were first mentioned. Its location, described in the sources rather precisely, suggests the same location as the present day Valpovo. Furthermore, the name Gradisca indicates that there used to be an older fort at the site of the Valpovo castle.

• Details
• Contents