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Exhibits
Langemarck streets - in Freiburg and elsewhere
Thursday, 19/03/2026 / Freiburg City Archive
The name "Langemarck" can be found in the names of streets and squares in more than 30 German cities. It refers to the battle of Langemarck in November 1914, which was glorified during the First World War as the "sacrifice of German youth" due to the supposedly high number of volunteer students among the dead and became one of the most powerful myths of the interwar period. In the Weimar Republic and during the National Socialist era, the anniversary of the event gave rise to various forms of commemoration in events, publications and also the visualization in public space through monuments and street naming.
In Freiburg, the central axis of the residential area "Westlich der Merzhauser Straße" has been called "Langemarckstraße" since 1934. At the same time, the neighboring streets were also given names related to the First World War.
The exhibition of the city archive deals with the "Langemarck myth", the origin and naming of Freiburg's Langemarckstraße, but also with the public discourse surrounding this naming since the Second World War. It was created as part of a traveling exhibition as part of a joint remembrance and peace project of the present-day Belgian municipality of Langemark-Poelkapelle, the "In Flanders Fields Museum" in Ieper/Ypres and the University of Kent and was/is also shown in other cities with Langemarck streets.
Opening hours: The exhibition can be visited during the opening hours of the city archive:
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 10am-4pm
- Wednesday: 10 am - 6 pm
Public guided tours: Every Wednesday at 3 pm.
Admission free, registration is not required.
Exhibition duration: The exhibition can be seen in the city archive until June 16.
