Rio Reiser
Heinrichplatz will get its name in the coming year
Rio Reiser is one of the central icons of the left-wing alternative scene in Germany.
© imago / teutopress
For years there have been discussions, complaints, postponed: As a Berlin district office announced, Heinrichplatz will become Rio-Reiser-Platz in 2022.
Now it seems to be becoming a reality: after years of discussions and legal disputes, Heinrichplatz in Berlin’s trendy Kreuzberg district will most likely be renamed Rio-Reiser-Platz in the coming year. This was confirmed by a spokeswoman for the responsible district office in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg when asked by the news agency spot on news.
It is expected that the procedural steps in the opposition proceedings will be properly processed in the next year, according to the communication. Then the renaming could take place, the formal procedure for this had already been initiated after the participation procedure in 2019.
At that time, a majority of the district assembly voted for the renaming of Heinrichplatz. With the publication in the official gazette, an objection period began, which had a suspensive effect for the renaming. Allegedly, five residents made use of their right of objection. This procedure is now coming to an end and the place is being renamed.
Rio Reiser one of the figureheads of the left scene
Heinrichplatz on Oranienstrasse is the central location of the district, which is characterized by its left-wing alternative scene. The original plan was to solemnly rename the square for Rio Reiser’s 70th birthday on January 9, 2020. Rio Reiser (1950-1996) was the singer and mastermind of the political rock group Ton Steine Scherben and is considered a figurehead in the left-wing scene.
His best-known compositions include the protest songs “Macht kaputt what makes you broken” or “No power for nobody”. He had his most popular hits as a solo artist with the evergreens “Junimond” and “König von Deutschland”.