From tiny villages to huge cities
Germany’s municipalities come in all shapes and sizes. A quick glance at Germany’s cities, towns and communities, and the people who serve as their mayors.
Germany has around 11,000 municipalities ranging in size from Berlin, the largest city in the country with a population of almost 4 million, to tiny villages. The person in charge of a commune is the mayor, who is directly elected by local people. Here are nine fascinating and quirky facts about Germany’s municipalities.
Who was the first mayor in the Federal Republic of Germany?
Erika Keck was elected mayor of Ahrensburg in Schleswig-Holstein in 1948, shortly before the Federal Republic was established in 1949. She was one of the group who founded the CDU political party there in 1945.
Who holds the record for the longest time as mayor of a German municipality?
That’s Josef Rüddel, a farmer from Windhagen in Rhineland-Palatinate who was born in 1925 and died in 2023. He became the non-stipendiary mayor of Windhagen in 1963 and held the post for 56 years! At the age of 94 he decided not to stand for election again. Rüddel loved to tell the story of how he used to deliver potatoes by horse and cart to Konrad Adenauer, Germany’s first Federal Chancellor, who lived in a neighbouring village.
Who was the first mayor to come out?
Klaus Wowereit was mayor of Berlin from 2001 to 2014. He came out in 2001 with a phrase that made history in Germany: “I’m gay, and that’s fine.”Wowereit took a historic step forward with these words, which were a key contribution towards Germany’s gay and lesbian movement gaining acceptance in society.
Which municipality has the smallest population in Germany?
Schönstheim in Bavaria. It has a population of precisely 0. Nevertheless every year an election takes place on 2 May to choose the mayor of Schönstheim, even though no one lives there anymore. Nowadays it’s just 300 hectares of forest. The village was abandoned by its inhabitants during the turmoil of war in 1467 and it was never reoccupied, but the owners of the land have carried on electing mayors since then regardless.
How small is Germany’s smallest town?
The smallest community in Germany which is allowed to call itself a town is Arnis, which stands on Schlei Firth in Schleswig-Holstein, which has a population of 300.
How big is Germany’s biggest city?
Berlin has a population of 3.8 million, making it 12,667 times as big as Arnis. It’s also the capital of Germany and a federal state in its own right, so the “governing mayor” of Berlin also leads the government of a federal state. Berlin also happens to be the most populous city in the European Union.
Who is the youngest full-time mayor in Germany in 2023?
At the age of 26, Maren Busch is Germany’s youngest full-time mayor. She stood as an independent in the 2023 election to become mayor of Diez an der Lahn in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Can a refugee become mayor of a German municipality?
They certainly can! Mike Josef is mayor of the city of Frankfurt am Main, which has a population of over 750,000. As a child, he and his family had to flee Syria and come to Frankfurt. Ryyan Alshebl also came to Germany as a refugee from Syria. He arrived here in 2015. In 2023 he was elected mayor of the town of Ostelsheim In Baden-Württemberg, which has a population of 2,500.
Do any communities outside Germany have a German mayor?
Dominic Samuel Fritz has been mayor of the Romanian city of Timișoara since 2020. He was born in Lörrach in Baden-Württemberg in 1983 and first visited Timișoara as part of his voluntary service in 2003.
