Personalities in Mainz street names
Here you will find a list of the streets in Mainz named after personalities. There is a short explanation for each person after whom a street is named.
It's not hard to guess who Beethovenstraße in Mainz-Laubenheim or Schillerplatz in downtown Mainz are named after. Almost everyone knows the most famous German composers and writers. But what about Nackstraße in Mainz Neustadt, Neideckerstraße in Weisenau, Veitstraße in Finthen, or Anna-Stenner-Straße in Hechtsheim? Who are the people behind these names?
To answer these questions, the city archives have compiled information and biographical data on 613 personalities after whom streets in Mainz are named. The information is freely accessible to anyone interested. It is linked to the online city map (to select a topic, click on Culture/History/Street Names and then press the button) and is also summarized in a PDF file (see download at the bottom of the page).
Among other things, you will learn that Nikolaus Nack was mayor of Mainz from 1842 to 1860, Johann Neidecker was the last mayor of Weisenau before it was incorporated into Mainz, Philipp Veit became director of the Municipal Art Gallery and an honorary citizen of Mainz in the 19th century, and Anna Stenner, as a community midwife in Hechtsheim, attended over 1,000 home births between 1924 and 1950. director of the Municipal Art Gallery and became an honorary citizen of Mainz, and that Anna Stenner, as a community midwife in Hechtsheim, performed over 1,000 home births between 1924 and 1950.
Background
Several years ago, Mainz City Council requested a brochure explaining the origins of Mainz street names. The city archives took on this task: interns pored over encyclopedias, employees combed through old city files, newspaper articles, and books, and made inquiries with local authorities and members of local historical societies. In order to find out the exact dates of birth and death of the individuals, registration information was requested, registry office records were leafed through, and relatives were contacted. The results of all these efforts were gradually compiled in a database and made available to interested parties.