As an inner-city district that unites former East and West Berlin boroughs, Mitte looks back on a turbulent history that is also reflected in the large number of street renamings. The regional historical focus of the “rename?!” exhibition is therefore on continuities, ruptures, and the possibilities for participation in renaming processes.

The exhibition examines street names from the Nazi era and the GDR that still exist today and explores why some renamings were never reversed, while others that seemed unproblematic were. It also highlights the history of civic engagement, associations, and initiatives—particularly those that led to the renaming of streets with colonial connotations in the African Quarter.