Town names The names of some towns, cities and regions in German can be quite difficult to recognise at first sight for English speakers.
Though others like Hamburg, Frankfurt, Dresden, Leipzig and Berlin pose no problems. The country's history has also left its mark in placenames. As you travel around Eastern Germany, you will notice that many border towns have both a Polish and a German name. This is because some of the East German border towns were split in two. Frankfurt an der Oder in the Brandenburg state is one such town - die Altstadt, the old town, on the west bank of the River Oder remained German while the east bank is now the Polish town of Slubice. The socialist government in East Germany also imposed names on towns. In 1950 the new town of Die sozialistische Stadt des Eisenhüttencombinates Ost was built. The rather imposing name literally means "The socialistic town of Iron Forge City East" and was planned and created by the East German government as a model communist city to house workers for the nearby steel plant. It was renamed Stalinstadt in 1952, and then later became Eisenhüttenstadt in 1961, as it remains to this day. Some East German towns have also reclaimed their pre-GDR names. Karl-Marx-Stadt is an example. Home to the Augustusburg castle, one of the most famous renaissance style castles, it has now been renamed as Chemnitz, eliminating its former communist associations. However if you're passing through, the stone-carved Karl Marx statue is still worth a visit. Links Eisenhuttenstadt - learn about the history of the town, in German. Chemnitz - the official town site, in English and German. These links are included for educational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement by the BBC of the products or services featured. |