 A map of East Prussia in 1890 with many of the original place names | |
| Native name | Umbenennung von Orten in Ostpreußen im Jahr 1938 |
|---|---|
| Date | July 16, 1938 |
| Location | East Prussia |
| Type | Geographical renaming |
| Cause | Germanisation |
| Organised by | Prussian Ministry of Science, Education and People's Education (Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Erziehung und Volksbildung) |
On 16 July 1938, more than 1500 place names in East Prussia were changed, following a decree issued by Gauleiter and Oberpräsident Erich Koch and initiated by Adolf Hitler.[1] Most of the names affected were of Old Prussian, Lithuanian and Polish origin; they were either eliminated, Germanized, or simplified. Similar geographical renaming also took place in other parts of Nazi Germany.
- ^ Neumärker, Uwe; et al. (2007). "Wolfsschanze": Hitlers Machtzentrale im Zweiten Weltkrieg (in German) (3 ed.). Ch. Links Verlag. p. 202. ISBN 978-3-86153-433-4.