Alias "Henge-Peters"
In a significant development, a final report has been presented, shedding light on the controversial histories of various street names in the city of Düsseldorf. The report, over 300 pages long, was commissioned by the city's cultural committee in March 2018 and was presented by Benedikt Mauer from the city archive and Memorial Site director Bastian Fleermann.
The investigation focused on four key areas: colonialism, militarism, nationalism, and antisemitism. The report contains expert opinions on a total of 79 personalities, selected from initially 650, then only 99, who generally met the criteria for investigation.
One of the individuals under scrutiny was Dr. Carl Peters, known as "Hanging Peters" due to the thousands of executions in African colonies attributed to him. Another was Ferdinand Porsche, Adolf Hitler's leading car constructor, who was classified into category A due to his involvement with the Nazi regime and use of forced laborers in the Volkswagen works.
Hans Erich Pfitzner, composer and author, was also classified into category A due to his glowing antisemitism at a time when the Nazis murdered six million Jews. Count von Stauffenberg, actor Gustaf Gründgens, and Joseph Beuys were classified into category C, which signifies less burden.
The classification process involved intensive archive research and source studies, including biographies, diaries, and eyewitness accounts. The advisory board voted on the categorization of personalities into A (heavily burdened/not tenable), B (controversial), and C (unburdened).
It's important to note that the advisory board has only made recommendations, and the decision on the actual renaming of the streets lies with the city council. The recommendations are given to city politicians, who are expected to handle them responsibly.
The report also considered whether there had been any form of reflection by the persons concerned over time, such as through distancing via written publications or the co-founding of democratic structures. The final report classifies the persons named as "heavily burdened/not tenable" as Karlheinz Müller (born 1935), Ingrid Schmidt (born 1942), and Hans Becker (born 1938).
Examples of these controversial street names include Porschestraße in Flingern, Pfitznerstraße in Benrath, and Petersstraße in Urdenbach. The Dozen Names in Düsseldorf are being investigated due to their connections to individuals associated with colonialism, antisemitism, and nationalism.
The advisory board's recommendations are a step towards addressing the city's past and promoting a more inclusive future. The city council now faces the decision on whether to rename these streets, a decision that carries significant historical and symbolic weight.
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