Berlin's Streets Get New Names to Address Colonial and Historical Legacies
Berlin is in the midst of a significant transformation, with many of its streets being renamed to address historical and colonial legacies. Recent changes include the renaming of Petersallee in Wedding to Anna-Mungunda-Allee and Maji-Maji-Allee, and the upcoming renaming of Treitschkestraße in Steglitz to Betty-Katz-Straße on October 1, 2025.
The city is not only renaming streets with historically burdened names but also honoring figures of resistance or social responsibility. For instance, Wissmannstraße in Grunewald was renamed Baraschstraße in 2022 to honor a Jewish couple who lived there. Future plans include renaming Nettelbeckplatz in Wedding to Martha-Ndumbe-Platz. The renaming of Mohrenstraße to Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Straße in 2021 addressed colonial connections, but faced controversy and lawsuits.
These changes are part of a broader effort to acknowledge and rectify Berlin's history. The renamings cover various historical contexts, from the colonial era to the NS period and local personalities who showed societal engagement.
Berlin's comprehensive street renaming project is ongoing, with the African Quarter in Berlin-Mitte seeing two streets renamed to honor personalities of the resistance against colonialism. The city continues to work towards replacing historically burdened designations with names that reflect its values and history.
