On July 2, the mayor of the West German city of Gelsenkirchen, Karin Welge, approved temporarily changing the city’s name to “Swiftkirchen.”
According to a press release, the playful homage was first suggested by a fan named Aleshanee Westhoff, who started a petition and wrote to the mayor about the change.

“It’s a great idea to temporarily change the name of Gelsenkirchen to ‘Swiftkirchen,'” Mayor Welge wrote in a response letter to the fan.
“As mayor, I am very happy that Taylor Swift, the most successful singer in the world today, will perform three times in Gelsenkirchen,” Karin Welge said. “This way, international attention will once again be focused on our city.”

SHOWS AT SWIFTKIRCHEN, FORMERLY GELSENKIRCHEN
JUL 17, 2024
VELTINS-ARENA
JUL 18, 2024
VELTINS-ARENA
JUL 19, 2024
VELTINS-ARENA