In Colmar, street name signs translated into German are causing controversy. The city’s mayor estimates Wednesday that “this corresponds to the history of” the “region” with in particular “15 centuries of bilingualism”.
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“We should also not confuse Nazism with German culture”, estimates the mayor (LR) of Colmar Eric Straumann, reacting to the controversy surrounding street names in Colmar, some translated into German. He was the guest of France Bleu Alsace on Wednesday November 29. The municipality’s initiative to translate certain signs into German divides Colmar residents, but mayor Eric Straumann points out that it “There are already streets in Colmar which have a purely German title. This corresponds to the history of our region: 15 centuries of bilingualism and the presence of German on our territory and this is not specific to Colmar, the Place de la République in Strasbourg also for example”.
This initiative was announced in 2020 by the mayor. The reflection was then launched in 2021, it lasted two years. The decision to translate the signs “was taken by an internal commission”he specifies. “I understand perfectly that this is a sensitive subject. Alsace suffered a lot during the last war. Some people still feel it today in their flesh, recognizes the councilor. But we must also overcome it, it is part of our history and we must not confuse Nazism with German culture, with the German language. Today we must move forward.”.
“Save” bilingualism
The initiative is intended, according to the mayor, to “save bilingualism”. “This has already been done in the past. We maintained the German spelling to make it understandable in the new neighborhoods where we have residents who no longer speak Alsatian. The idea is that we keep when even a minimum of bilingualism in our city which is 15 km from the German border because if we no longer practice a minimum of bilingualism at home, where are we going to do it? It’s a shame to lose this element of culture. And he concludes: “Today, Alsatian is unfortunately no longer taught”a translation into German allows you to be “in this bath of bilingualism”.
The mayor of Colmar promises to set up a commission. “We will look at this in a calm manner, it is simply a misunderstanding for those who do not know the history of our region”. The councilor also plans to organize a citizen vote. In Colmar, there are a dozen plaques in German and less than a dozen in Alsatian, specifies France Bleu Alsace.
