Schwerin's street names: contemporary witnesses of GDR history revealed!

Schwerin's street names: contemporary witnesses of GDR history revealed!

In Schwerin, the state capital of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, street names play a crucial role when it comes to reflecting the history and political trends of the past decades. Many of the current names are deeply rooted in the GDR era, telling stories of socialist pioneers and anti-fascist martyrs. These street names are not only orientation aids, but also reminders of a complex past that shapes present-day Schwerin. Loud Northern Courier Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße is an example of this assessment of the past. It was named in honor of the co-founder of the KPD and testifies to the GDR's claim to be the heir to the revolutionary workers' movement.

Another example is Rudolf-Breitscheid-Straße, which commemorates a social democratic resistance fighter who lost his life during National Socialism. The reference to Breitscheid as an anti-fascist hero shows how the GDR also included dissenting political currents in its politics of remembrance. The Schwerin local notes that some residents have moved on different streets throughout their lives, but essentially in a similar social environment. These inconsistent names reflect the city's complex history, which has been influenced by incorporations and urban planning changes.

From Fritz Reuter to Otto Weltzien

Fritz-Reuter-Straße is another example of how literature and history are connected. Reuter, a Low German writer, was celebrated as a “people's poet” in the GDR, even though he was not actively socialist. On the other hand, Otto-Weltzien-Strasse honors a courageous resistance fighter, and here too it becomes clear how closely local personalities are intertwined with the overarching mythical stories.

After reunification, many of these street names remained unchanged, which was not the case in other cities. In Schwerin, a more cautious strategy regarding renaming was pursued, as the Nordkurier reports. Even if the ideological origin of these names has often faded into everyday life, they are still witnesses of a bygone era and encourage us to examine one's own history.

A look into the past

The brochure “Schwerin Street Names”, created by Dieter Greve, the former head of the city's land registry and surveying office, offers valuable insights into the origin and meaning of street names in Schwerin. After extensive research, Greve has updated and revised this brochure, making it a valuable reference work. Here you will not only find 578 current street names, but also a list of historical, former names. The brochure is available for a small fee from the citizens' office and from geodata distributors and also contains clear maps that illustrate the development of the city.

The change in street names in Schwerin is not just a local phenomenon, but also reflects the larger social and political changes that have occurred city after city Wikipedia is to be read. It is interesting to observe how the use of street names has changed in recent years; there is increasing emphasis on women being taken into account in the nomenclature.

So it remains to be said: The street names in Schwerin not only tell of a time, they also ask us to stop and think about our own past. In this sense, they invite you to engage with history and explore the social and cultural identity of the region.