Allmodengasse

The lane was laid out in the first half of the 17th century, after the construction of the new bastion fortifications, at the same time as the other streets of the Niederstadt (lower town). It was created on swampy terrain that until then had commonly been called "Schweinewiese" (pig meadow).

The lane was crossed lengthwise by a wide moat. The north bank facing the Mottlau River was called Papegogengasse around 1650, while the southern side of the street already bore the name Alamodengasse. The designation Papegogengasse does not appear in later records. By 1763, both sides of the lane were already called Alamodengasse. In 1796 and 1805 it was called Allmoden, "a la Moden," or Allmondegasse; from that time on, the form Allmodengasse became fixed.

As for the meaning of the name, a derivation from the well-known patrician family von Allmonde is certainly incorrect. The family apparently did not come to Danzig until the 18th century and, as far as can be determined, never owned any property on the lane. Moreover, in 17th-century entries in the inheritance register, the name always reads "Allemoden" or "a la Modengasse."

The term "alamodisch" (a la mode, fashionable) appeared in Germany from about 1620 with the growing influence of French culture. It was first used in pamphlets attacking the foppish clothing of military adventurers who brought the new trend-setting fashions from France to Germany. However, the meaning of the word soon broadened to describe the prevailing taste of the time in behavior and conduct -- signifying the usual, customary manner in clothing, furniture, rooms, and even buildings.

The application of this word to a street name remains a very striking phenomenon, all the more so because the appearance of the area by no means matched the grandiose name. According to Wutstrack, at the beginning of the 19th century the area was still mostly poorly built, cut through by swampy ditches, and inhabited only by laborers. Often, the names of such foul-smelling, dirty streets were reinterpreted in a jokingly euphemistic manner.

It can be assumed that the current name is in fact a distortion of "Modergasse" (mold lane) -- or, as one would say locally using a dialectal variant that closely matches the Frenchified form, "Mottgasse." In any case, this designation thoroughly corresponds to the former actual character of the dirty, unpaved suburban street.