German City Temporarily Renamed After Taylor Swift Ahead Of Eras Tour Concert
NDTV
The decision to temporarily change the city's name was made after a ‘Swiftie’ started a petition and wrote to the Mayor of Gelsenkirchen.
Gelsenkirchen, a city in western Germany, is temporarily renaming itself "Swiftkirchen" in honour of Taylor Swift's upcoming Eras Tour shows. The city's mayor, Karin Welge, approved the proposal ahead of the popstar's performances from July 17-19.
Taylor Swift is set to perform at three concerts in Gelsenkirchen, and thousands of her fans, known as 'Swifties,' are expected to attend. 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," Mr Welge said in a letter to Westhoff, according to an official release.
