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Rename it?! Street names and urban memory, Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf

to | Museum Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf in der Villa Oppenheim

Street renamings, whether they happen, fail to happen or happen symbolically, mark moments of public remembrance. They reflect debates that concern society as a whole and yet they are entirely local. This exhibition picks up seven stories from this borough about the renaming of streets.

Symbolische Umbenennung des Seebergsteigs, 15.7.1992
© Norbert Michalke

Symbolische Umbenennung des Seebergsteigs, 15.7.1992



It tracks street biographies and illustrates the events and intentions, emotions and wiggle room that frame the renaming process. The map of the city was altered by ostracism and tributes in the Nazi years, and then inscribed by memories of resistance and champions of democracy.

Feminist, antifascist, counter-antisemitic and decolonial campaigns turn the spotlight on the vestiges and vacancies of historical review, insisting that remembrance should be plural.


These stories clearly demonstrate that public remembrance is as contested as it is open-ended, but also that candid debate about street names can provide a forum for democratic negotiation.



This exhibition is part of the series Rename it!?, a joint project by the Aktives Museum (Fascism and Resistance in Berlin) and the Working Group of Regional Museums in Berlin.
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Dates
May 2025
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