City renamed after Taylor Swift

The German city of Gelsenkirchen will honor U.S. pop superstar Taylor Swift by temporarily renaming itself “Swiftkirchen” later this month, local authorities announced.

Swift began her 18-city European tour of “Eras Tour” in May. Her first stop in Germany is Gelsenkirchen, where she will perform on July 17, 18 and 19.

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“The temporary renaming of Gelsenkirchen to ‘Swiftkirchen’ is a great idea,” This was stated by Mayor Karin Welge in a letter to Aleshanee Westhoff, a German Swiftie who started a petition a few weeks ago.

Westhoff unveiled the sign with the city’s new, albeit provisional, name on Wednesday. Several other signs “at highly frequented locations in Gelsenkirchen” will appear in the next few days, said city spokesman Markus Schwardtmann.

“There will be many small and big surprises, so there will be a lot for the Swifties in Gelsenkirchen to discover,” added Schwardtmann.

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The local transport company BOGESTRA has already “Taylor Swift Streetcar”, The city wants to honor the breakup song princess with her own stone on the Gelsenkirchen Walk of Fame. Swift’s fans can also attend open-air parties in the city center during the concert days, which are all about Taylor Town.

According to the organizers, the Veltins Arena in Schalke is sold out, with 70,000 fans expected each evening. Swift will then move on to Hamburg and Munich.

There are concerns in the EU about the economic impact of Swift’s tour, with expressions such as “Swiftflation” and “Swiftonomics” being used. Some economists say the singer’s legions of fans drive up demand during her performances, leading to higher prices. Others dismiss the phenomenon as temporary.

Due to Swift’s enormous popularity, rumors also arose in the US that she could be used as a tool by one of the political parties in the upcoming elections or abused for psychological operations. The Pentagon has officially denied the latter.