New place names – Raftsmen and Plums: More and more communities are giving themselves titles – Panorama

Stuttgart (dpa/lsw) – Anyone travelling on the roads of Baden-Württemberg will sometimes come across original place names. There is the plum town and the waterfall town, the asparagus village and the Hermann Hesse town. On Friday, Interior Minister Thomas Strobl (CDU) will christen seven more places – they will be allowed to bear official additional names from October. Among others, the town of Schiltach (Rottweil district) will become the rafting town and the Karlsruhe district of Grötzingen will become the historical artist colony.

Since a change to the municipal code at the end of 2020, it has been much easier for cities and municipalities to use such an addition. The respective municipal council can determine it with a three-quarters majority. The Ministry of the Interior must then approve the designation. Municipalities can use it to draw attention to their historical past, a tradition or a special feature. Previously, this was mainly reserved for spa towns, which could be given the addition “Bad”, and university towns.

Communities hope for tourism

In Schiltach in the Black Forest, the centuries-old rafting trade provided the inspiration for the additional town title. “The old Schiltach families in particular feel a connection to the topic,” says Mayor Thomas Haas (independent).

For over 500 years, rafts were made in the city and used to transport wood. “They used to be up to 600 meters long,” says Haas. The traditional craft still arouses great interest among people. With the additional name, the mayor now hopes to attract more day-trippers.

According to Valentin Weislämle from the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University in Lörrach, it is difficult to measure whether an additional place name actually brings more tourists to the place. “Several factors always count,” says the tourism expert. It could be a place name, but also a personal restaurant recommendation.

Nevertheless, the name could help. “Baden-Württemberg in particular has become a very popular tourist region,” says Weislämle. “Of course, it is sometimes difficult for communities to stand out.” An additional name could make the difference.

But that alone is not enough, according to the tourism expert: For an additional title to be of any use, there must also be a corresponding offer. In the wine-growing communities of Ebringen and Bötzingen (Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district), for example, there should be the opportunity to buy wine or attend a wine tasting.

Umbrellas, doughnuts and a hot air balloon

The town of Bühl (Rastatt district) has been officially allowed to call itself the plum town since last year. At that time, the local council voted for the title only on the second attempt – after great support from the population in the form of a citizens' petition. “In the minds and hearts of the people of Bühl, we have always been the plum town,” says a spokesperson for the town. The Bühler Frühzwetschge variety was discovered in the town as early as 1840.

It cannot be said with certainty that the additional name will also benefit tourism in Bühl. Nevertheless, the hope is that it will lead to more visitors and a boost for the regional economy. For the residents of Bühl, the addition has something to do with a sense of tradition and has been received positively.

The city's marketing department is now increasingly advertising with the fruit that gives the town its name. “The plum has really taken off here – and you can even take that literally,” says the spokesperson. Since the official additional name was introduced, a city-owned hot air balloon with a new city logo has been floating over the region. The logo is also emblazoned on promotional items such as umbrellas and key chains, as well as on doughnuts made of powdered sugar. The ü dots on the Bühler logo: plums.

More and more communities have additional names

From a marketing perspective, a location addition can create positive associations both internally and externally, says Jörg Tropp from Pforzheim University. Ideally, the addition must point to an attractive, unique selling point of the city or municipality – this is not always easy, because additions such as university town and resort town can be found in multiple places. This can reduce the effect, says marketing professor Tropp.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, 120 cities, municipalities and districts now have an additional name. The number is increasing every year – especially since the municipal regulations were relaxed. In 2023, 15 official additional names were approved, in 2022 there were 19 and in 2021 exactly 23 additional names.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:240920-930-237819/1