Coty site in Cologne: renaming because of a burdened history?

Coty site in Cologne: renaming because of a burdened history?

The Coty site in Cologne-Ehrenfeld is currently causing a major conversation. The reasons for this are not only the planned developments, but above all the controversial past of the company founder Francois Coty, who is known as a propagandist anti -communist, anti -Semitic and fascist ideas. The Greens in the district council therefore call for an urgent renaming of the area, which was used by the cosmetics group Coty by 2021. Around 1900 apartments and areas for business, culture and leisure are to be created here, which also fueled the discussion.

The 17 hectare area, which has been inaccessible for decades, is now under the direction of the new owner Instone Real Estate. In cooperation with the citizens, this has developed a planning concept that has received positive feedback from both politics and the city administration. But again and again the question of whether the name "Coty site" can meet the right name for this aspiring urban neighborhood, in view of the shady history of the namesake. Tobias Scholz from the Greens indicated in a recent application for the problematic aspects of Coty's biography. In particular, his foundation of a right -wing extremist paramilitary association in the 1930s caused excitement. Antenne nrw reports that the faction has not applied for the name in official documents, since there is no historical connection between the Coty Group and Cologne.

change change - but how?

But what are possible alternatives for the new name? There are suggestions that relate to local traditions. Examples are the Cologne traditional company 4711 or successful references to local industrial history such as the brick factory or the Mauser plant. In the past few weeks it became clear that the district representatives consider a rapid renaming to be important to prevent the name "Coty" from remaining in circulation. The city administration is emphasized that the city administration will initiate a citizens' involvement procedure, which is with further perspectives and suggestions from the population could bring in.

The debate about the change of name shows how important it is to also look at the historical contexts in urban development. Deutschlandfunk illuminates in a context that urban naming is often a reflection of social changes. This applies not only to Cologne, but also in other cities is currently being discussed on burdened namesake and solutions are sought. Reviews therefore not only have local importance, but at the same time they reflect a growing awareness of social responsibility.

The future of the Coty site in Ehrenfeld is not only a question of urban development, but also one about which stories the names of our cities tell and what values we want to represent. The next few months will show how this discussion will develop and what name the new urban quarters will ultimately get.