Abstract
The study focuses on the toponyms Jałta and Yalta as they are represented in Polish and French history textbooks. The aim of the research is to demonstrate that toponyms serve not only as repositories of historical memory but also as fundamental components in the construction of collective memory. Although recognized as equivalent, these toponyms evoke divergent recollections of the same historical event, functioning as conduits for moral, geopolitical, and identity-related evaluations articulated by various actors, including event participants, contributors to scholarly discourse, and textbook authors who shape interpretive perspectives. The variability in the meanings ascribed to these toponyms, considered from both diachronic and geographical perspectives, underscores the fluidity of the boundary between history and memory, revealing distinct discursive cultures manifested in Polish and French textbooks. The analysis is grounded in the principles of French linguistic discourse analysis and memory studies. The research corpus consists of Polish and French history textbooks for general education students, published between 1962 and 2022.