Viennese street changes name

30 May, 2012

Vienna city council has approved plans to rename a street in Vienna named after a mayor who inspired Hitler’s anti-semitism.

Karl Lueger Ring will become Universitaetring in the autumn when the street signs are changed.

The road forms part of the inner ring road close to the University of Vienna. Much of the impetus for the renaming came from the university – whose present address is Karl Lueger Ring 1 – because it disliked being associated with the anti-semitic mayor.

Conservatives, who are in opposition in the city government, are against the change because they point out that Lueger, who was re-elected five times as mayor of the city from 1897-1910, was also responsible for providing Vienna with modern utilities such as water, light and public transport.

There is still a statue of Lueger in a square named after him on the other side of the city.