Berlin’s planned renaming of Mohrenstraße to Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Straße appears set to proceed following rulings delivered Friday evening by the Higher Administrative Court.
Residents of Mohrenstraße had pursued legal challenges for years and up to the last moment, attempting to halt both a resolution passed by the district assembly and a directive issued in 2021. The Higher Administrative Court has now dismissed their most recent urgent appeals.
According to the court, the likelihood of success for the plaintiffs’ lawsuits is now “highly improbable” a conclusion supported by prior decisions from the Administrative Court and the Higher Administrative Court. The court indicated it does not foresee any arguments presented in the lawsuits altering the assessment of the street renaming’s legality, particularly given the limited scope of judicial review for street name changes under Berlin’s state law, which is restricted to examining whether the decision was arbitrary.
Furthermore, the court stated that the concerns raised by the plaintiffs, who do not assert a direct infringement of their fundamental rights through the implementation of the general decree, do not carry significant weight. The court’s decision, delivered on August 22nd, 2025 (cases OVG 6 S 70/25, OVG 6 S 71/25, OVG 6 S 72/25), is considered final and binding.