The central square in the middle of Grindsted is to get its own official street name, and after a round of suggestions from, among others, residents, GrindstedArkivet and local media, the shortlist has now been narrowed down to eight names.

At the top of the administration’s shortlist is the simple name Grindsted Torv.

Next come Grindsted Bytorv, Hedens Torv, Lyngtorvet, Stjernetorvet, Kvægtorvet, Gammel Hede Torv and Gammeltorv. It is now up to the politicians on the Technical, Planning and Climate Committee to decide what the square should be called.

Why not just Torvet?

Several people have actually suggested that name – and Grindsted Handel has pointed out that it is already what people call the square in everyday conversation.

But the rules get in the way.

According to the municipality’s case documents, a street name must not already be in use within a radius of 15 kilometres. And in Ansager, there is already a street called Torvet. Ansager is so close to Grindsted that the name cannot be used.

That perhaps makes the administration’s first choice, Grindsted Torv, a little more logical: It is very close to the name local people already use.

A square with more than 100 years of history

The municipality has also taken into account that the new name should ideally tell something about the history of the place.

And that history goes back a long way. Grindsted Borgerforening wanted the town to have a proper square, and in 1915 the parish council allocated 500 kroner to buy land at the market square in front of the inn. DSB also wanted a proper street connection between the station and the town centre.

According to Museet MARK, the area around the square is a place where you can clearly see the story of Grindsted’s development from village to railway town.

Some of the other eight names draw on different parts of the history. Kvægtorvet, for example, refers to the time when farmers traded animals there, while Lyngtorvet and Hedens Torv refer to the heath around Grindsted. Stjernetorvet refers to the distinctive star shape formed by the town centre and the roads around the square.

BillundOnline readers made their mark

And here’s a little twist from our point of view. When BillundOnline previously asked readers to suggest a name, several of their ideas made it to the municipality. Four names on the final list came in through BillundOnline – either on their own or alongside other people’s suggestions.

They are Grindsted Torv, Lyngtorvet, Stjernetorvet and Gammel Hede Torv.

Now it is up to the politicians to have the final say.