Western German city renames itself 'Swiftkirchen' after Taylor Swift ahead of Eras Tour shows

A city in western Germany is temporarily renaming itself to honour Taylor Swift’s upcoming Eras Tour shows. Mayor of Gelsenkirchen, Karin Welge, approved the renaming proposal of “Swiftkirchen” ahead of the popstar’s performances from July 17-19. 

The city will welcome tens of thousands of fans, who are expected to come for her shows on July 17, 18 and 19, German news agency dpa reported. The city is preparing for the events by putting up signs with the new name, which translates to “Swift’s Church.”  

The decision to temporarily change the city's name was taken after Aleshanee Westhoff from Emmerich, a fan of Taylor, started a petition and even wrote to Mayor Welge about this. 

“It’s a great idea to temporarily rename Gelsenkirchen to ‘Swiftkirchen’, which is why I'm particularly pleased that you can experience the short-term ‘renaming’ of Gelsenkirchen live and up close in Gelsenkirchen today,” Welge said in a letter to Westhoff, according to an official release. 

The first signage that marks the entrance to “Swiftkirchen” has also been installed by Westhoff on Ebertstrasse, the release stated. 

Markus Schwardtmann, the head of the city's public relations department, said, "Today is the starting signal. We will be installing many more signs in highly frequented places in Gelsenkirchen in the coming days". 

Taylor Swift will also receive her own stone on the Gelsenkirchen Walk of Fame, alongside local notables like soccer coach Rudi Assauer and writer Ilse Kibgis. 

“There will be many small and large surprises so that the Swifties in Gelsenkirchen have a lot to discover,” Schwardtmann said. 

The German city will also host a “big open-air Taylor Swift party,” which has been named “Taylor Town”. It will feature “lots of offers (swap market, karaoke, tattoos) related to the star." 

One of the poorest cities in Germany, Gelsenkirchen is a former coal mining town that's never recovered from the decline of its main industry. The Ruhr city is known for its soccer team, and a massive stadium that occasionally attracts international entertainers like Swift. 

At the beginning of the Eras Tour in March last year, Arizona’s Glendale was temporarily renamed as “Swift City” in honour of the singer's tour stop in the city.