Bayreuth discussed: Finally take a critical look at the controversial Karl-Muck-Strasse!

Bayreuth discussed: Finally take a critical look at the controversial Karl-Muck-Strasse!

There is currently an important debate about problematic street names in Bayreuth. Numerous streets are named after historical figures whose biographies are being critically scrutinized today. A prominent example is Karl-Muck-Straße, named after the festival conductor Dr. Karl Muck (1859-1940) was named. He was known for his anti-Semitic positions and campaigned for Richard Wagner's works to be performed “Jew-free”. Muck also kept so-called “beheading lists” to exclude creative people he didn’t like. Unfortunately, two musicians who were rejected by Muck lost their lives in the Auschwitz concentration camp, as Kurier reports.

These worrying facts have led to the Bayreuth city council, represented by the SPD politician Christoph Rabenstein, submitting an application. The aim of this application is to promote the installation of additional plaques on controversial street names that critically examine the history of the namesake. These boards should not only provide information about the personalities, but also contain QR codes to make the backgrounds easily accessible. The city administration is behind this plan in order to avoid the complex renaming, which often represents a major challenge for those affected, as the Bayreuther Tagblatt explains.

Discussion and decision-making processes

The city's culture committee has supported the initiative and the city council is scheduled to vote on Rabenstein's application next Wednesday. The costs of around 5,000 euros for the panels are planned for in the next budget. However, there are also critical voices: Rabenstein expresses dissatisfaction with the slow processing of his application, which has been on the table for four years.

Johanna Schmidtmann from the Greens also calls for a comprehensive discussion about possible renaming and the need for measures against anti-Semitic personalities, which still have noticeable effects today. This shows how important it is to deal with history and to process it in order not to fall into old patterns.

A look beyond the city limits

The topic of street names and their history is not only important in Bayreuth. In Berlin, specifically in the Steglitz-Zehlendorf district, a signal is currently being set with the renaming of Treitschkestrasse to Betty-Katz-Strasse. This is happening as part of an exhibition that will take place in the Steglitz manor house from March 28, 2025, to address the ideological appropriation of public space between 1933 and 1945, as berlin.de reports.

Both cities, Bayreuth and Berlin, are bringing the explosive discussion about historically charged names back into the public eye. Whether through additional plaques or renaming, the goal remains the same: to show residents and visitors what stories lie behind the street names and what values ​​they should represent in order to promote a fairer and more inclusive society.