In 1377/78, the lane was named "twergasse circa turrim" (cross-lane by the tower) after the tower of St. Mary's Church, which it abutted. In 1416 and again in 1523, it was called Trippenmachergasse. From 1633 onward, it became Korkenmachergasse.

Trippen were raised wooden overshoes that were simply indispensable in the unpaved lanes of the 14th and 15th centuries. The Trippenmacher were the craftsmen who produced this type of footwear.

In later times, such slippers were made from the lighter and softer material cork. The word "Kork" (cork) came to stand for the slipper itself, the material being used as the name for the finished product. Accordingly, Wutstrack in 1805 referred to the lane as both Korkenmachergasse (cork-maker lane) and Pantoffelmachergasse (slipper-maker lane).

Today, translated into Polish, the street bears the rather mundane name of Cobbler's Lane.

History