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The cult of naval heroes anchored in the landscape. The naming of streets after seamen in the Dutch landscape
Nowadays, the naming of streets after seaman is increasingly being discussed in the broader debate about the representation of the (colonial) past in public space. Supporters and opponents face each other: do we want to preserve this cultural heritage or not, and how? To create a breeding ground for a more in-depth discussion, this article zooms in on the spatial translation of the cult of the naval heroes through the naming of streets in the Dutch landscape. The historical and topographical analysis shows that the naming of streets after seamen was initially used as valuable and intentional veneration, but quickly changed into a normalized pattern. This shows that naming streets after seaman is not as innocent as it seems at first glance and can be seen as an expression of the Authorized Heritage Discourse.