Berlin to get two new prominent street names in May

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  The square in front of the state parliament is to be named in honour of Berlin’s honorary citizen Margot Friedländer. (File photo)

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  Hofjägerallee in Berlin-Tiergarten is soon to be renamed Helmut-Kohl-Allee.

In about four weeks’ time, Berlin will be getting two new street names in quick succession.

On 9 May, Hofjägerallee in Tiergarten will be renamed Helmut-Kohl-Allee. Two days earlier, the square directly in front of the Berlin State Parliament is to be named after Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer. This was confirmed by the Mitte District Office in response to an enquiry from dpa. "There are currently no delays. The main task remaining is to install the new street signs."

Ceremony to mark the unveiling of Margot-Friedländer-Platz on May 7

At the House of Representatives, Parliamentary President Cornelia Seibeld will welcome guests when the plaque bearing Margot Friedländer’s name is officially unveiled. This is scheduled to take place in the early morning – MPs will be in session at the Parliament on 7 May, with the start of the sitting postponed by one hour. According to the House of Representatives, the school choir from the grammar school in Spandau – which is to be named after Margot Friedländer in future – will take part in the ceremony. The honorary citizen of Berlin died on 9 May 2025 at the age of 103. Friedländer (1921–2025) came from a Jewish family in Berlin. She was deported by the Nazis to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. After the liberation in 1945, she moved to the USA with her husband. It was not until she was 88 that she returned to the German capital. She is buried in the Jewish cemetery in Weißensee.

Renaming of Hofjägerallee to Helmut-Kohl-Allee on May 9

A ceremony is also planned to mark the renaming of Hofjägerallee. The Senate Chancellery has not yet released any details. The street, which will be named after former Chancellor Helmut Kohl (1930–2017), runs from the Victory Column through the Tiergarten towards the CDU’s federal headquarters. Kohl is also an honorary citizen of Berlin. He is regarded worldwide as the “Chancellor of Unity”. The German reunification took place during his term in office from 1982 to 1998.