The name originated from a lime kiln granted to the citizens of the Old Town (Altstadt) in 1399. The kiln stood at the end of Pfefferstadt and Weissmönchenhintergasse toward the Young Town (Jungstadt), roughly in the area of the later Bastion Heiliger Leichnam (Holy Corpse).

In the 15th century, the name Kalkgasse (Lime Lane) also extended to Paradiesgasse. Later it was restricted to the immediate vicinity of the lime kiln, though without precisely defined boundaries. The name has been in use since 1497.

The property register of 1581 understood the name to mean the present-day Kalkgasse and the side of the Faulgraben facing the Hansaplatz. In 1624, the name additionally encompassed the stretch of today's Strasse am Jakobstor from Hansaplatz to Pfefferstadt -- otherwise called Karrengasse (from 1904 = Am Jakobstor) -- as well as the later Ziezausche Gasse and present-day Nos. 12-21 of the Kassubischer Markt.

The reason for these considerable fluctuations was likely that, after the lime kiln was demolished, its location gradually faded from memory, causing the street name to lose its obvious meaning. From the end of the 18th century onward, the name's area of application became fixed.

After the war, the street continued to exist for some time under the Polish translation ul. Wapienna, before being merged with Paradiesgasse during the redevelopment of the Old Town.

History