The Jewish Street in Wrocław till the Beginnings of the 15th century (part 1)
The systematic reading of Wrocław’s books of aldermen (libri scabinorum) has revealed a surprising diversity and tendency for change in the nomenclature pertaining to the same, marginal area of the city. The terms Baiern, Kunzenstadt and the least used Judengasse, used concurrently (although it is unclear whether their meaning was the same) were replaced in the 70s of the 14th century (ten years after Jews left the town) by Neugasse, which was quickly changed to Neugerbergasse. The term Judengasse was again used at the end of the 14th century, becoming more common at the beginning of the 15th century, undoubtedly due to return of the Jews to the city, what is striking is that we have no data from this period about the locations of their living quarters. In its original context Juden-/Neu-/Neugerbergasse consisted of the length of two streets, comprising the shape of the letter „L”, those being the current Uniwersytecka and Więzienna streets (the historiographical reference to Garbary street is apparently an error). It is there, between the Szewska and Kotlarska streets and by the intersecting section of Kuźnicza that Christians and Jews lived together. Only at the end of the 14th century the term Neugerbergasse, which in the 15th finally became Judengasse, was contracted to one street, the current Uniwersytecka street.