The city of Potsdam has admitted to a very unpleasant recent discovery when it found out that an honorary citizenship bestowed on Nazi propaganda minister Josef Goebbels in 1938 was never rescinded.
The honour was given to the senior Nazi by the city of Babelsberg on 1 April 1938, one year before Babelsberg was incorporated into Potsdam, the capital of the state of Brandenburg.
Although honorary citizenships officially end with the death of the dignitary in question, in Goebbels' case on May 1, 1945, the list of honorary citizens published by the city includes specific revocations of the same honour bestowed on Adolf Hitler and his interior minister Wilhelm Frick.
A web page listing Potsdam's honorary citizens since the 19th century states that the honorary citizenship awarded to Goebbels was "not posthumously revoked, presumably due to lack of knowledge of the award."
The discovery was made by staff researching a full list of the city's honorary citizens during the summer and is likely lead to an official withdrawal of the award.
