Around 1650, the side of the lane facing the Mottlau - which, like the other streets of the Lower City, was traversed lengthwise by a drainage ditch - bore the name Katzengasse (Cat Lane). Only the opposite side was called Sperlingsgasse (Sparrow Lane). So the cats only had to hop across the ditch to catch the sparrows - the old Danzigers certainly had a sense of humor.

The designation Katzengasse later fell out of use. From 1763 onward, both sides were uniformly called Sperlingsgasse.

After 1945, the lane was given the name of a Polish general. When he fell out of favor, it was renamed on October 30, 1953, after the German communist leader Ernst Thalmann. Only in the 1990s did the original reference return with the Polish name ul. Wrobla, which translates as Sparrow Lane.

History