Obi-Wan Kenobi Street (Polish: ulica Obi-Wana Kenobiego) is a street in the town of Grabowiec in Toruń County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. The street is named after Obi-Wan Kenobi, a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise.[1][2]

Obi-Wan Kenobi Street
Obi-Wan Kenobi Street in 2011.
Native nameUlica Obi-Wana Kenobiego (Polish)
NamesakeObi-Wan Kenobi
LocationGrabowiec, Toruń County, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland
Other
Known forBeing named after Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Star Wars franchise character

History edit

 
Street sign with name of the street in 2021.

The street name was proposed by Leszek Budkiewicz, a member of the community council of Gmina Lubicz within which is located in Grabowiec. The proposition was accepted in resolution XXVIII/373/04 of 30 December 2004, and came into force 14 days later.[1][2]

Since then, the street name had attracted numerous Star Wars fans. In 2009, during Star Force, a Star Wars fans convention, many participants visited the street while wearing various Star Wars-themed cosplays.[3]

The street was visited by the Star Wars actors Gerald Home and Paul Blake in 2008.[4]

The street inspired propositions of naming streets in other cities of Poland after Obi-Wan Kenobi, including in: Bielsko-Biała[5] and Kraków.[6]

In 2021, the street was rebuilt, with its surface being updated from dirt to concrete cube. The investment cost 580 thousand Polish złoty, of which 290 thousand was covered by the Local Government Roads Fund.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Council of the Commune Lubicz resolution No. XXVIII/373/04 Archived 2012-03-06 at the Wayback Machine (in Polish)
  2. ^ a b An interview with Leszek Budkiewicz, who lives on the street, and who, being the Council member himself, managed to convince the Council to name the street after Obi-Wan Kenobi. Archived 2013-07-30 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Ulica Obi-Wana Kenobiego" (in Polish). Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Interview with Richard LeParmentier". Star Wars: Imperial City Online. Archived from the original on 2016-01-17. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Ulica Obi-Wan'a Kenobi'ego w Bielsku-Białej?". beskidzka24.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  6. ^ Banasik, Marcin. "Kraków. Chcą, żeby bohater "Gwiezdnych Wojen" miał swoją ulicę [ZDJĘCIA]". gazetakrakowska.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  7. ^ "Przebudowano ul. Obi-Wana Kenobiego w Grabowcu". pozatorun.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 1 April 2021.