Zu den oberfränkischen Ortsnamen Püchitz (Lkr. Lichtenfels, ehem. Lkr. Staffelstein), Hohenpölz, Tiefenpölz (Lkr. Bamberg, Altlkr. Ebermannstadt), Pölz (Lkr. Kumbach), Pöllitz (Lkr. Kulmbach), †Pölz/Pölnitz (Lkr. Bamberg) und Weidnitz (Lkr. Lichtenfels)

Abstract

The article is part of a series of articles on some 25 toponyms in northeastern Bavaria (Upper Franconia). Here, the place names Püchitz, Hohenpölz/Tiefenpölz, Pölz, Pöllitz, †Pölz/Pölnitz and Weidnitz are under scrutiny.
For Püchitz as well as the Pöl(l/nit)z group, traditional Slavic etymologies are compared with newer West Germanic/German ones. While for Püchitz both etymological variants are on the same level of probability (OHG *Buochinza
‘place with beeches’ vs. CSlav. *Buchanici/*Buchonici ‘(village of the) Buchan/Buchon folk’), it can be shown for the Pöl(l/nit)z group that only the Slavic etymologies are really viable (CSlav. *Bolenici/*Bolanici ‘(village of the) Bolan/
Bolen folk’ or *Polьnica ‘field-creek, place with fields’, *Pol’anica ‘place with (mountain) meadows’ respectively). By contrast, the German(ic) etymology (based on OHG bol(la/o) ‘ball, bubble, onion’) encounters insurmountable phonological problems that have thus far not been addressed by its proponents. For the place name Weidnitz an ‘Old European’ etymology has been proposed, though this has turned out to be unviable. An explanation assuming a German tree name as well as one based on a Slavic source seems viable.]