While Palma town hall has found itself in the midst of controversy over plans to change the names of twelve streets and squares, there is no such street-name controversy in Pollensa.
Parties at the town hall are unanimous in that there need to be more streets named after women. A commission of historians, politicians and technical advisors is to be set up in order to propose changes to the names of streets, squares and public buildings.
Of the some 160 streets in the municipality, only ten are dedicated to women. In almost all cases, these are nuns. One name that is at the top of the list is that of Clara Hammerl.
Wife of Guillem Cifre de Colonya, she was closely involved with the efforts that Guillem made to introduce liberal education for boys and girls in Pollensa.She was also the first female director of a bank in Spain.
She became director of the Colonya savings bank following Guillem’s suicide in 1908. The secondary school in Puerto Pollensa was renamed after her in 2012.
Junts Avançam, who led the town hall initiative in proposing the setting-up of a commission, has said that there should also be representation from civil society on this commission.
There might also be scope, one would suggest, for the public to propose names. It is a good initiative and it should also be participative.