July 09, 2021

New York, Back on the Map


New York, Back on the Map
Ah, the bolshoe yabloko. Google Maps

If you're ever in eastern Ukraine and find yourself pining for massive rats, delayed subway trains, and pedestrians yelling "Hey, I'm walkin' here!" at yellow taxis, there's no need to fret. There's a local New York where we're sure you'll feel right at home.

New York, Ukraine, is back on the map after sixty years in cartographical purgatory. Local government authorized the name change July 1, and the switch has taken swift effect.

Founded in 1892 by German migrants, New York (pronounced Slavically as "Nioo-Eeor'k") is located in the eastern part of the country. In 1951, the Communist Party of Ukraine changed the name to the neutral "Novgorodskoe" to distance the country from the United States during the Cold War. Thus, the switch back this year is part of ongoing efforts to remove modern Ukraine from its Soviet past.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv even tweeted about the name change, expressing excitement and congratulating the local government. However, times are still tough: the town is at the heart of what is now the Russian-speaking Donetsk region, one of the hotbeds of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

Regardless, of course, the internet has responded in internet fashion:

"We're going to New York." "In America, right?" ". . ." "In America, right?" | Twitter account @the_lentach

 

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