The name recalls the Hetztheater, an arena for animal baiting.
The lane is named after the Hetztheater, which opened here on 1 May 1755: a round, roofless arena said to hold 3,000 people, where handlers and dogs baited bears, wolves, bulls and other animals on Sundays and holidays. It burned down in 1796; a postal administration building was put up on the site in 1902/1903.