Skip to main content
1 of 2
Psychonaut
  • 393
  • 2
  • 8

How does one use prepositions with proper nouns that start with a preposition?

In German-speaking regions, it is not unusual for places (streets, restaurants, hotels, etc.) to bear names starting with a preposition. For example, in Vienna there is a public square named "Am Hof", and a restaurant named "Zur Stadt Krems". How is this built-in preposition treated when the name as a whole is the subject of a preposition in a sentence?

For example, consider the following two English sentences and their German translations, which are not problematic for the simple names "McDonald's" and "Heldenplatz":

  • Let's go to McDonald's.
    • Gehen wir zu McDonald's.
  • Let's meet at Heldenplatz.
    • Treffen wir uns am Heldenplatz.

How would we form the corresponding sentences with "Zur Stadt Krems" and "Am Hof"?

  • Let's go to Zur Stadt Krems.
    • (?) Gehen wir zu Zur Stadt Krems.
    • (?) Gehen wir zur Stadt Krems.
  • Let's meet at Am Hof.
    • (?) Treffen wir uns an Am Hof.
    • (?) Treffen wir uns am Hof.

That is, does one include the preposition that is part of the proper noun, or does one omit it? Having two prepositions in a row (particularly if they're the same one) sounds strange to my ear. But on the other hand, omitting the preposition leads to ambiguity—"Gehen wir zur Stadt Krems" could mean the speaker wants to go to the actual city of Krems rather than the restaurant named for it, and "Treffen wir uns am Hof" sounds like the speaker wants to meet at some unspecified yard or farm rather than the public square.

Psychonaut
  • 393
  • 2
  • 8