New reference book

“Ludlsteg and Arschkerben” – street names in focus

The authors responsible for the reference work, Johannes Kaska, Cornelia Daurer and Walter Schuster from the Linz City Archive with Green Party city councillor Eva Schobesberger and the managing SP city deputy Dietmar Prammer (from left).(Bild: Stadt Linz)

The brand new book from the Linz City Archives presents the 1210 officially named traffic areas and 452 former street names that are no longer used. What is striking is that since 1869, names have also been given to people of merit. Out of 566 names, only 54 honor women. 

"The streets and squares in Linz - names, development, history" is the title of the new 321-page book published by the Linz City Archive. At the presentation, Dietmar Prammer, executive vice-chairman of the Social Democratic Party, and Eva Schobesberger, city councillor for the Greens, thanked Walter Schuster in particular for his "enlightening" work over the last 34 years. The archive director will be going into well-deserved retirement in a few days' time and his colleague Johannes Kaska will be taking over.

512 male and only 54 female street names
Eva Schobesberger is not the only one to be concerned: of the 1210 street names in Linz, 566 are named after people, 512 of which are men. "Women are still severely underrepresented," says the Green city councillor. The reference work arose from the 1800-page report published by the Street Names Commission in 2022, which, as is well known, resulted in four streets being renamed due to their historically charged namesakes. In the past, however, there were also bizarre neologisms that nobody could imagine today.

The cover of the 321-page reference book on Linz street names.(Bild: zVg)

From "Ludlsteg" to "In der Arschkerben"
Patients of the Brothers and Sisters of Mercy would probably feel uneasy if Seilerstätte was called Geisterburg, as it was until 1869 (because the Barbara cemetery was located there at the time). Or Zollamtstraße, which has recently become very popular with the hip vegan generation thanks to innovative housing developments. In the 18th century, it was still called "An den Fleischbänken". Interesting fact: The corner of Honauerstraße/Ludlgasse was once known as "Am Ludlsteg", part of Adlergasse as "Froschengaßl", later as "In der Arschkerben". The most beautiful address: The former "Paradiesgäßchen" - the Kaisergasse.