The name "Schwarzes Meer" (Black Sea) was transferred to the lane from a swampy pool located near what is today Kleine Berggasse (Small Hill Lane). This pool is still marked as "Schwarzes Meer" on a plan from 1695.

The older name for the lane is "Rosental" (Rose Valley). It first appears under this name on a plan by the city architect Frederik Hendrichszon Vroom, who worked in Danzig from 1567 to 1593. The name later appears in the Erbbuch (hereditary land register) as well. An earlier occurrence cannot be established using the Erbbuch, since from the 14th to 16th century the entire area from Neugarten to Petershagen was recorded only under the collective name "over de Radune" (beyond the Radaune river).

Unlike the Rosengasse and Lavendelgasse (Rose Lane and Lavender Lane), which were undoubtedly humorous names for dirty, foul-smelling lanes, the Rosental appears to have actually been a tract of land overgrown with wild roses. This is supported by the fact that on the aforementioned 16th-century plan, the area still appears completely undeveloped — the street is merely a field path leading through a fold in the terrain toward the Bischofsberg (Bishop's Hill). A directly analogous name formation is found in nearby Schidlitz, where "Schladahl" means "Blackthorn Valley."

Until 1884, the Schwarzes Meer also encompassed the Große and Kleine Berggasse, Bischofsgasse, Radaunegasse, and Salvatorgasse, which were only then separated and given their own names.

History