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NAZI POLICE DOSSIER - CHANGING JEWISH STREET NAMES 1941
Judenplatz & Judengasse
THIRD REICH POLICE
FILE REGARDING THE
POSSIBLE CHANGING
OF JEWISH
STREET NAMES
•
JUDEN-PLATZ
&
JUDENGASSE
Jewish street names
This is a complete, original 6-page Nazi police file regarding the possiblity of changing the Jewish names of two particular streets in Wien (Vienna). On 10 January 1941, the Government Chief of Staff wrote to the Police Commissioner in Wien regarding the names of two streets in the second largest city in Hitler’s Greater Germany, Juden-Platz (Jew Square) and Juden-Gasse (Jew Alley), asking whether it wasn’t time to consider changing these names as they were obviously politically incorrect at the time.
Jewish street names in Wien
A letter from the Reichsstatthalter (Baldur von Schirach - the highest civil authority in Gau Wien) dated 13 January 1941 follows up on the inquiry at the Main Traffic Department, asking whether the names “Judenplatz” and “Judengasse” in Vienna’s 1st District are of a particularly historic nature.

A response dated 10 February 1941 from the Cultural Department of the City Administration of Reichsgau Wien to the Reichsstatthalter explains that these two names date back to the Middle Ages.

Reichsstatthalter Baldur von Schirach
Judenplatz got the name in 1437 and Judengasse in 1391. Since these Jewish names are an important part of Viennese history they were not changed in 1938 (after the Anschluß) when many Jewish names were replaced. At that time Ing. Blaschke, Head of the Culture Office, decided not to change these particular historic names, pointing out that even in several cities in Germany (for example Nürnberg) these same names were also left unchanged.

A subsequent notice dated 22 February 1941 from the Reichsstatthalter to two government officials points out the 1938 decision of Ing. Blaschke not to change the names but suggests that in the future - when most Jews have been evacuated from Wien - a change should be considered. The Reichsstatthalter stated that since Wien is in a groundbreaking position in the Reich regarding the deportation of Jews, the smaller city of Nürnberg should not be used as an example of how things should be done in a bigger city like Wien.
In the two remaining pieces of this Third Reich dossier the Reichsstatthalter stated that the names “Judenplatz” and “Judengasse” would probably be changed when the deportation of Jews neared completion. On a note dated 6 March 1943 it is stated that the deportation of Jews from Wien has not been carried out in general, so that the matter of changing the two street names should be considered again on 1 September 1943. On this sheet there are several handwritten notes with dates as late as 12 December 1944.

The names of these two places were never changed and “Judenplatz” and “Judengasse”can still be visited and found on maps of Wien. This is an incredibly historic Third Reich Nazi police dossier regarding a controversy that citizens of the wonderful city of Wien could not even imagine today!

From the collection of authors Ray & Josephine Cowdery. The dossier comes with a signed and dated Certificate of Authenticity.
For more Kripo, Gestapo, SS and concentration camp documents, click HERE.
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