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Cologne street renaming: Vote now on the colonial legacy!
In Cologne-Ehrenfeld, votes will be held until June 14th to rename streets that deal with the colonial past.
Cologne street renaming: Vote now on the colonial legacy!
History will soon be rewritten in Cologne-Ehrenfeld. Gravenreuthstrasse and Wißmannstrasse are to be renamed and the population has the opportunity to have a say in choosing new street names. The background to this renaming is a report that was commissioned by the city and highlights the “extensive colonial violence” of the two namesakes, Karl von Gravenreuth and Hermann von Wißmann. Both were active in “German East Africa” in the 19th century and brought considerable suffering to the population there, as [ksta.de](https://www.ksta.de/koeln/ehrenfeld/ehrenfeld/abstimm-startet-strassen-in-koeln-ehrenfeld- Werden-neu-benannt-1032864) reports.
The majority of residents voted in favor of the renaming during a public participation event last year. The working group of Ehrenfeld district representatives has developed outstanding suggestions. From today until June 14th, Cologne citizens can vote on the city's participation portal "meinungfuer.koeln".
Suggestions for new street names
The following names are available for Gravenreuthstrasse:
- Albert Richter – Radrennfahrer, ermordet von der Gestapo
- Moritz Spiro – Opfer der Pogromnacht
- Friederike Greven – Widerstandskämpferin
- Cilly Servé – Widerstandskämpferin
- Klara Caro – Gründerin des Jüdischen Frauenbundes
- Mevlüde Genc – Überlebende des Brandanschlags von Solingen
The proposals for Wißmannstrasse include:
- Theodor Wonja Michael – Zeitzeuge des Nationalsozialismus
- Mohammed Husen – Kindersoldat und Opfer des NS-Regimes
- Manga-Bell – König von Kamerun, hingerichtet wegen Widerstands
- Fasia Jansen – Politische Liedermacherin
- Audre Lorde – US-amerikanische Schriftstellerin und Aktivistin
- Kenny Clarke – Be-Bop-Schlagzeuger mit Verbindung zum Jazz-Club „Loft“
A step towards coming to terms with the colonial past
The renaming is part of a comprehensive project to come to terms with Cologne's colonial legacy, which has been in full swing since 2021. In addition to the two streets, another 1,200 street names in Cologne are being checked for their colonial or National Socialist references, as wdr.de shows. Lerschstraße and other streets have also come under criticism.
A look at similar debates in other countries shows that dealing with colonial legacy is not just a concern for Germany. In Great Britain, the removal of statues such as that of slave trader Edward Colston led to intense discussions about racism and historical awareness. Anti-racism activists here are also calling for the reassessment of monuments and street names. Social awareness of the issue has grown accordingly, reports deutschlandfunk.de.
The vote to rename not only gives Cologne residents a voice in street politics, but also sends an important signal for a more responsible historical awareness in the city. It remains exciting to see which new names will ultimately meet with the approval of citizens and what impulses this will give to the discussion about colonial heritage in Cologne and beyond.