City-entrance signs in Europe

[friedrichstrasse]

- The so-called "language" (in fact a dialect) is not official at all, nor anyway recognised
- Bilingual signs should be used in bilingual areas. Busto Arsizio is not.

So, maybe they can be considered "official", but anyway they're illegal.

[g.spinoza]

Originally Posted by friedrichstrasse

- The so-called "language" (in fact a dialect) is not official at all, nor anyway recognised
- Bilingual signs should be used in bilingual areas. Busto Arsizio is not.

We're not talking about direction signs. Those are managed centrally. In cities' welcome signs, municipalities can put whatever they want (welcome to xxx, home of good wine and olive oil!). They are official in the sense that municipalities agree, not that the language in which they're written is official in the municipality.

[italystf]

Originally Posted by g.spinoza

We're not talking about direction signs. Those are managed centrally. In cities' welcome signs, municipalities can put whatever they want (welcome to xxx, home of good wine and olive oil!). They are official in the sense that municipalities agree, not that the language in which they're written is official in the municipality.

Usually in Italy they put the names of the twinned towns.

[Zagor666]

Italia/South-Tyrol

[friedrichstrasse]

That's official and legal.
The South Tyrol / Alto Adige province is bilingual, in some municipalities even trilingual.

[Fabri88]

Originally Posted by g.spinoza

We're not talking about direction signs. Those are managed centrally. In cities' welcome signs, municipalities can put whatever they want (welcome to xxx, home of good wine and olive oil!). They are official in the sense that municipalities agree, not that the language in which they're written is official in the municipality.

Right!

In Italy there's no regulation about city entrance signs apart writing the name of the town in Italian language!

Then, Italian "dialects" are proper languages: some of them have well defined own grammar rules. The so called "dialetto Bustocco" (Busto Arsizio's dialect) has strict grammar rules that are different than Italian language ones!

Usually in Italy they put the names of the twinned towns.

[Fabri88]

Ah, I forgot to say that for example, in Lombard language there are 28 letters in the alphabet and not 26: Ö and Ü are present aswell and they are pronounced exactly as they are pronounced in German language!

[Road_UK]

Sneek (Dutch) Snits (Frisian)

[NordikNerd]

image hosted on flickr

City entrance sign. The photo says where.

[Zagor666]

Germany,entering a national park



Entering a village that is in a region that is a Unesco Biosphärenreservat(what ever that in english means)



Something like a passsign in middle Germany

[Satyricon84]

Entering in Roquebrune Cap-Martin from Monaco

[SeanT]

Biosphere-reservate?

[Robi_damian]

[albertocsc]

This one in Chișinău:



I'll try to upload some more signs this week.

[Alex_ZR]

These sculpture-like signs are typical for Romania and former Soviet Union.

[OulaL]

Originally Posted by Alex_ZR

These sculpture-like signs are typical for Romania and former Soviet Union.

But being Latin script, how can this be from the Soviet Union? ... and it still looks old...

[MattiG]

Originally Posted by OulaL

But being Latin script, how can this be from the Soviet Union? ... and it still looks old...

Easier to change fonts than the style...



The signs and street names are important symbols, and they are among the first things to change if a state turns independent.

[Zagor666]

Switzerland

[OulaL]

Originally Posted by MattiG

The signs and street names are important symbols, and they are among the first things to change if a state turns independent.

Sure. My point was that the sign looks old, older than Moldova's independence, especially judging from letters s and a.

[albertocsc]

Originally Posted by OulaL

Sure. My point was that the sign looks old, older than Moldova's independence, especially judging from letters s and a.

I don't really know, but seeing the sign 'in situ' I would have said it was from about the time of independence. And I just think it is a sample of the great patriotism of these times. If it was older, it would have said Kishinev or Кишинёв or similar.

By the way, I have signs to show, as I promised:

Coming to town (next two ones are with Spain's old traffic typeface (adapted from French one, instead of the present day British one):



And leaving it for college (I'm sharing this in Wikipedia):




A more modern sign, although not the common one:



The common one in Spain:



Catalan touristic city entrance sign (in Miami Beach - Platja in Catalan):



And the exit one, with the common design:



Romanian ones:










In Ireland (don't really remember if a real one or if I painted over it):


In France:


In England:


Bonus, Romanian judet-leaving and judet-entrance signs, and Hollywood-like ones: