|
City, size
website and state
|
Mayor
(Mr, Ms)
|
Elections
|
Profile
|
Aachen
Popl: 246,000
www.aachen.de
(North-Rhine Westphalia) |
Sibylle Keupen (Ms)) |
Elected 2020; Next election 2025 |
Born: 1963
Studied pedagogy. Since 2017 deputy chairperson of the German association of art colleges for young people.
Party: Independent. Won the 2020 run-off the mayoral election with the support of the Green Party. |
Augsburg
Popl: 277,000
www.augsburg.de
(Bavaria)AugsburgAugsburg |
Eva Weber (Ms) |
Elected 2020 |
Born 1977
Studied law; Worked for the Bavarian association of savings banks. Since July 2011 head of business & economics at the City of Augsburg. In 2014 elected to the city council.
Party: CSU |
Berlin
Popl: 3,500,000
www.berlin.de
(Federal capital, city-state) |
Michael Müller (Mr) |
Elected in 2014; Re-elected 2016; Next elections 2021 |
1964, trained as a printer, previously Mayor and Senator for Urban Development and the Environment, Chairman of the parliamentary faction and State Chairman of the SPD;
Party: SPD |
Bielefeld
Popl: 330,000
www.bielefeld.de
(North Rhine-Westphalia)(Bavaria)(Bavaria) |
Pit Clausen (Mr) |
Elected 2009; re-elected in 2014 and 2020; Next elections 2025 |
Born 1962
Studied law at University of Bielefeld and practicing lawyer, councillor since 1994, lost first candidature in 2004; Re-elected to a third term with more than 56% of the vote.
Party: SPD |
Bochum
Popl: 362,000;
www.bochum.de
|
Thomas Eiskirch (Mr) |
Elected in 2015; re-elected in 2020
Next elections 2025 |
Born 1970
Degree in economics from the University Dortmund; Member of the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament from 2005 until 2015.
Party: SPD |
Bonn
Popl: 315,000
www.bonn.de
(North Rhine-Westphalia) |
Katja Dörner (Ms) |
Elected 2020; Next election 2025 |
Born 1976:
Studied politics in Bonn, York and Edinburgh; From 2009 to 2020 member of the German federal parliament (Bundetag); Defeated the incumbent conservative mayor in the 2020 election.
Party: Green Party |
Braunschweig
Popl: 252,000
www.braunschweig.de
(Lower Saxony) |
Ulrich Markurth (Mr) |
Elected 2014; Next election 2021 |
Born 1956
University lecturer and advisor to manufacturing industries
Party: SPD |
Bremen
Popl: 548,547; www.bremen.de
(Free and Hanseatic city, city-state) |
Andreas Bovenschulte (Mr) |
Elected 2019; Next elections 2023 |
Born 1965
Studied law in Bremen; From 2007 to 2019 first deputy then mayor of Weyhe near Bremen
Party: SPD |
Chemnitz
Popl: 250,000
www.chemnitz.de
(Saxony) |
Sven Schulze (Mr) |
Elected 2020;Next elections 2027 |
Born 1971
Studied business at Chemnitz University; Following military service, he joined regional utility company and worked in corporate communication. Between 2015 and 2020 member of Chemnitz city council.
Party: SPD |
Cologne / Köln
Popl: 1,100,000
www.stadt-koeln.de
(North Rhine-Westphalia) |
Henriette Reker (Ms) |
Elected 2015; Re-elected 2020; Next election 2025 |
Born 1956. Lawyer. Survived assassination attempt on eve of polling day.
The assault was prompted by her pro-migration policies.
Deputy Mayor of Koln/Cologne 2010-2015 responsible for integration, social affairs and environment. Deputy Mayor in City of Gelsenkirchen 2000 – 2010. First female mayor of Köln/Cologne. Awarded Mayor of Distinction by World Mayor 2018
Party: Independent |
Darmstadt
Popl: 156,000
www.darmstadt.de
(Hesse) |
Jochen Partsch (Mr) |
Elected 2010; Re-elected in first round in 2017;
Next election 2023 |
Born 1962
Formerly worked in marketing, social services and for Darmstadt University as a lecturer
Party: Green |
Dortmund
Popl: 577,000;
www.dortmund.de
(North Rhine-Westphalia) |
Thomas Westphal (Mr) |
Elected 2020;
Next elections 2025 |
Born 1967
In 1993 elected leader of Germany’s Young Socialists (Jusos); As a mature student studied economics in Hamburg; Co-publisher of Spw, a journal for socialist politics and business; Appointed head of Dortmund’s economic development department in 2014; Promoted the establishment of knowledge-based start-ups.
Party: SPD |
Dresden
Popl: 532,000;
www.dresden.de
(State capital of Saxony) |
Dirk Hilbert (Mr) |
Elected July 2015.
Next elections 2022 |
Born 1971
Elected mayor after being proposed by the Independent
Citizens for Dresden and subsequently supported by CDU after first round.
He was a Deputy Mayor and Acting Mayor of Dresden between 2008 – 2015.
Qualified in engineering and worked in aviation sector in 1990’s. Subsequently
worked as Assistant Secretary Economic Affairs City of Dresden. Received death threats after he said the city was not innocent during the Nazi years.
Party: FDP |
Duisburg
Popl: 488,000;
www.duisburg.de
(North Rhine-Westphalia) |
Sören Link (Mr) |
Elected in July 2012; Re-elected 2017; Next elections 2025 |
Born 1976,
Joined SPD in 1993, member of state parliament 2005-2012, working in education, media and home affairs committees;
Party: SPD |
Düsseldorf
Popl: 600,000;
www.duesseldorf.de
(State capital of North Rhine-Westphalia) |
Stephan Keller (Mr) |
Elected 2020;
Next elections 2025 |
Born 1970
Studied law in Bayreuth and Birmingham; PhD from Ruhr University in Bochum; Between 2006 and 2016 worked in various capacities for the City of Düsseldorf; From 2017 to 2020 city manager in Cologne, often deputising for Mayor Henriette Reker.
Party: CDU |
Erfurt
Popl: 211,000
www.erfurt.de
(Thuringia) |
Andreas Bausewein (Mr) |
Elected 2006; Re-elected 2012 and 2018; Next election 2024 |
Born 1973
Politician; Former Deputy in state parliament.
Controversially wrote in 2015 that children of asylum seekers should not have access to schooling until their status had been confirmed.
Party; SPD |
Essen
Popl: 575,000
www.essen.de
(North Rhine-Westphalia) |
Thomas Kufen (Mr) |
Elected September 2015. Re-elected 2020; Next elections 2025 |
Born 1973
Kufen worked in the private sector in a sales capacity from 1994 to 2004 and was a member of state Parliament 2012 to 2015. From 2005 to 2010 commissioner for integration
of state government NRW
Party: CDU |
Frankfurt am Main
Popl: 705,000;
www.frankfurt.de
(Hesse) |
Peter Feldmann (Mr) |
Elected in 2012, re-elected 2018; Next election 2024
|
Born 1959, an economist and political scientist. First Jewish mayor of a major German city since WWII. One of the founders of the group Jewish Social Democrats within the Social Democratic Party; 1989-2012 served as City Councilor and party deputy Chairman focused on children, youths, the unemployed and elderly care issues;
Party: SPD |
Freiburg
Popl: 228,000
www.freiburg.de
(Baden-Wurttemberg) |
Martin Horn (Mr) |
Elected 2018; Next elections 2026 |
Born 1984
Co-ordinator for European affairs at the City of Sindelfingen; Visiting lecturer at Protestant College of Ludwigsburg; MA in European and world politics from University of Bremen;
Party: Independent but supported by SPD |
Gelsenkirchen
Pop: 258.000
www.gelsenkirchen.de
(North Rhine-Westphalia) |
Karin Welge (Ms) |
Elected 2020;
Next election 2025 |
Born 1962
Studied law and European politics; From 1992 to 1997 lecturer in public administration in Cologne; Elected Gelsenkirchen city councillor in 2011; Since 2015 responsible for municipal finance.
Party: SPD |
Hagen
Popl: 189,044
www.hagen.de
(North-Rhine Westphalia) |
Erik Schulz (Mr) |
Elected 2014; Re-elected in 2020; Next election 2025 |
Born 1966
Management career. From 2000 to 2014 managed a public sector agency.
Campaigned for mayor with cross-party support. Now leads a Centre-Right coalition.
Party: Independent |
Halle
Popl: 236,991
www.halle.de
( Sachsen Anhalt) |
Paul Wiegand (Mr) |
Elected 2012; Re-elected 2019 |
Born 1957
Lecturer in administrative law (1998 to 2008); Assistant mayor (Beigeordneter) at Halle (2008 to 2012); Longlisted for the 20/21 World Mayor Prize
Party: Independent |
Hamburg
Popl: 1,800,000;
www.hamburg.de
(Free and Hanseatic city, city-state) |
Peter Tschentscher (Mr) |
Succeeded Olaf Scholz when he was appointed German Minister of Finance in March 2018; Re-elected in 2020 |
Born 1966
Lawyer, Doctor of Medicine. From 1994 until 2008 he practiced at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf. Hamburg Finance Senator from 2011 until 2018.
Party: SPD |
Hamm
Popl: 179,397
www.hamm.de
(North-Rhine Westphalia) |
Marc Herter (Mr) |
Elected 2020; Next election 2025 |
Born 1974
Studied law at Münster University; 1994 to 2014 member of Hamm’s city council; From 2010 to 2020 member of the North-Rhine Westphalia state parliament
Party: SPD |
Hanover / Hannover
Popl: 520,000;
www.hannover.de
(State capital of Lower Saxony) |
Belit Onay |
Elected 2019 |
Born 1981
After civil service, he studied law in Hannover and Bremen; Joined the SPD as a pupil but left the party and then attached himself to a conservative student organisation. Joined the Green Party in 2008; From 2011 to 2014 Green city councillor in Hannover; From 2013 to 2019 member of Lower Saxony state parliament.
His parents came to Germany as ‘guest workers’ in the 1970s. He once described himself as a ‘liberal Muslim’. He caused controversy when he said Hannover should accept more refugees from the Greek refugee camps. Since elected mayor, has solving the homeless crisis one of his priorities. Longlisted for the 20/21 World Mayor Prize.
Party: The Greens |
Heidelberg
Popl: 158,000
www.heidelberg.de
(Baden-Württemberg) |
Eckhardt Wurzner (Mr) |
Elected 2006. Re-elected 2014; Next elections 2022 |
Born 1961
Lecturer and former consultant on environmental energy
Deputy Mayor 2000-2006
Since 2006 President of EU Energy Cities Network
Party: Independent |
Herne
Popl: 157,000
www.herne.de
(North-Rhine Westphalia) |
Dr Frank Dudda (Mr) |
Elected 2015; Re-elected 2020; Next elections 202 |
Born 1963
Lawyer; Practised law between 2002 and 2015
Party: SPD |
Ingolstadt
Popl: 133,000
www.ingolstadt.de
(Bavaria) |
Christian Scharpf (Mr) |
Elected 2020; Next elections 2026 |
Born 1971
Apprenticeship in banking; He later studied commercial and European law; Practised law between 2002 and 2004. Between 2004 and 2020 employed by the Bavarian capital city of Munich first in the legal department, later in the lord mayor’s office.
Party: SPD |
Karlsruhe
Popl: 296,000
www.karlsruhe.de
(Baden-Württemberg) |
Frank Mentrup (Mr) |
Elected 2012;
Next elections December 2020 |
Born 1964
trained paramedic and doctor, 1993-2011 practising psychiatrist for children and young people, 2006-2013 member of state parliament working on youth and education issues;
Party: SPD |
Kassel
Popl: 199,000
www.kassel.de
(Hesse) |
Christian Geselle (Mr) |
Elected 2017; Next election 2023 |
Born 1976
Previous occupations include police officer in Frankfurt for 10 years and lawyer. Member of the Kassel City Council for 10 years including City Treasurer 2015 - 2017. Following major financial losses in the 2017 edition of Documenta, Kassel’s trademark art event, Christian Geselle called for the disbandment of its supervisory board.
Party: SPD |
Kiel
Popl: 246,306
www.kiel.de
(Schleswig-Holstein) |
Dr Ulf Kämpfer (Mr) |
Elected 2014; Re-elected 2019; Next elections 2024 |
Born 1972
Studied law in Göttingen and Galway (Ireland) as well as research at Columbia Uni, NYC.
Lawyer, former judge and member of the state government.
Backed by smaller parties.
Salary: €132,414 p.a.
Party: SPD |
Krefeld
Popl: 226,000
www.krefeld.de
(North-Rhine Westphalia) |
Frank Meyer (Mr) |
Elected 2014; Re-elected in 2020; Next elections 2025 |
Born 1974
Politician
MA in political management
Joined SPD in 1992
Deputy Mayor 2009-2014; City Council member 1999-2009
Has smaller party support
Party: SPD |
Leipzig
Popl: 533.000
www.leipzig.de
(Saxony) |
Burkhard Jung (Mr) |
Elected 2006; re-elected 2013 and 2020; Next elections 2027 |
Born 1958
Teacher, later school principal, involved in 2012 Leipzig Olympic Games bid and 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, board member of EUROCITIES and German Association of Towns and Cities.
Party: SPD |
Leverkusen
Popl: 164,000
www.leverkusen.de
(North-Rhine Westphalia) |
Uwe Richrath (Mr) |
Elected 2015; Re-elected 2020; Next election 2025 |
Born 1961
Textile retailer
City councillor from 2009 to 2015.
Party: SPD |
Lübeck
Popl: 217,000
www.luebeck.de
(Schleswig-Holstein) |
Jan Lindenau (Mr) |
Elected November 2017, took office May 2018; Next election 2024 |
Born 1979
Lübeck city councillor from 2011 to 2018. Worked previously in the financial sector.
Party: SPD |
Ludwigshafen
Popl: 166,000
www.ludwigshafen.de
(Rhineland-Palatinate) |
Jutta Steinruck (Ms) |
Elected October 2017; In office since January 2018; Next election 2025 |
Born 1962
From 2009 until end of 2017, Member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2017
Party: SPD |
Magdeburg
Popl: 237,000
www.magdeburg.de
(Saxony-Anhalt) |
Dr Lutz Trumper (Mr) |
Elected 2001. Re-elected 2008, 2015; Next elections 2022 |
Born 1955
Degree in Science; From 1992 to 2000 at the University of Magdeburg;
Minister in state government 2000-2002;
Party: SPD; Left the SPD in 2015 because differences over immigration. He argued that Magdeburg could not accept more refugees. He was re-admitted to the SPD in 2017 |
Mainz
Popl: 209,779
www.mainz.de
(Rhineland-Palatinate) |
Michael Ebling (Mr) |
Elected 2012; Re-elected 2019; Next election 2026 |
Born 1967
Studied lay in Mainz
Politician and political advisor;
Member of City Council 1994-2002;
From 2006 to 2012 Minister of State for education and science in state government
Party: SPD |
Mannheim
Popl: 298,000
www.mannheim.de
(Baden-Württemberg) |
Peter Kurz (Mr) |
Elected 2007; Re-elected 2015; Next elections 2023 |
Born 1962
Lawyer and judge, PhD, councillor since 1984, became mayor for education, culture and sports in 1999 until elected Lord mayor; Passionate supporter of green policies; He participated in Habitat III; Also attended the 2018 World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur and the 2020 Forum in Abu Dhabi
Party: SPD |
Mönchengladbach
Popl: 258,000
www.moenchengladbach.de
North Rhine-Westphalia
|
Felix Heinrichs (Mr) |
Elected September 2020; Next elections 2025 |
Born 1989.
Studied history and politics in Düsseldorf; Between 2013 and 2020 managing director of a private care home for elderly citizens.
Party: SPD |
Mülheim / Ruhr
Popl: 170,000
www.mulheimanderrhur.de
(North-Rhine Westphalia) |
Marc Buchholz (Mr) |
Elected 2020; Next elections 2025 |
Born 1968
Founded the employment agency and advice centre ‘AkZent’ in 1998. The centre offered career and employment advice to students from the Mercator University in Duisburg. From 2005 to 2019 responsible for areas like education, youth and sport at the Town of Kevelaer.
Party: CDU |
Munich / München
Popl: 1,410,000
www.muenchen.de
(State capital, Bavaria) |
Dieter Reiter (Mr) |
Elected 2014; Re-elected 2020; Next elections 2026 |
Born 1958
Studied public administration, 1981-2009 worked for the city administration of Munich, became city councillor in 2009 and joined the SPD in 2011;
Party: SPD |
Münster
Popl: 301,000
www.muenster.de
(University town, North Rhine-Westphalia) |
Markus Lewe (Mr) |
Elected 2009; Re-elected 2015 and 2020
Next elections 2025 |
Born 1965
Studied public administration, elected district mayor in 1999, also chairman of the supervisory board of Münster/ Osnabrück airport
Party: CDU |
Nuremberg / Nürnberg
Popl: 500,000
www.nuernberg.de
(Bavaria) |
Marcus König (Mr) |
Elected 2020; Next elections 2026 |
Born 1980
After finishing college education, he completed a training programme in banking with the Dresdner Bank. After the merger of Dresdner Bank with Commerzbank, he managed a number of branches of the newly merged bank from 2011 to 2017. He joined the conservative CSU party as a 14-year old in 1994.
Party: CSU |
Oberhausen
211,000
www.oberhausen.de
( North- Rhine Westphalia) |
Daniel Schranz (Mr) |
Elected 2015; Re-elected in 2020; Next election 2025 |
Born 1974
After his studies in economic history, he worked for a number of educational and political institutions.
From 2001 to 2015 member of Oberhausen municipal council and later leader of the CDU in the regional council of the Ruhr region.
Party: CDU |
Oldenburg
Popl: 165,000
www.oldenburg.de
(Lower Saxony) |
Jurgen Krogmann (Mr) |
Elected 2014; Next election 2021 |
Born 1963
Politician;
Formerly a local government official and a journalist;
Member of state parliament 2008 – 2014
City Council member 2011-2014
Party: SPD |
Osnabrück
Popl: 163,000
www.osnabrueck.de
(Lower Saxony) |
Wolfgang Griesert (Mr) |
Elected 2013; Next election 2021 |
Born 1957
Studied architecture at Dortmund University:
Construction Assessor
Worked in local government
City Council member 2005-2013
Party: CDU |
Potsdam
Popl: 170,000
www.potsdam.de
(Brandenburg) |
Mike Schubert (Mr) |
Elected 2018; Next election 2026 |
Born 1973
Apprentices in industrial electronics and retail; Military service, as reservist detached to peace keeping in Kosovo; From 2004 to 2016 occupied various management position in Brandenburg’s state government. From 2016 to 2018 responsible social services at City of Potsdam.
Party: SPD |
Rostock
Popl: 207,000
www.rostock.de
(Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) |
Claus Ruhe Madsen (Mr) |
Elected 2019; Next election 2026 |
Born 1972 in Copenhagen
First foreign mayor of a large German city (Grossstadt)
Came to Germany in 1992; Worked first as retail salesman; In 1998 managing director of a furniture chainstore; Since 2015 vice president of the German-Danish Chamber of Commerce in Copenhagen.
Party: Independent but supported by the conservative CDU and the liberal FDP |
Saarbrücken
Popl: 180,000
www.saarbrucken.de
(Saarland) |
Uwe Conradt (Mr) |
Elected 2019; Next elections 2027 |
Born 1977
He received a BA in business from the Saarland University and an MA in media law from the Johannes-Gutenberg University in Mainz. Since 1990 member of the CDU. Since 2009 member to the Saarbruecken city council. From 2012 to 2016 member of the state parliament of the Saarland.
Party: CDU |
Solingen
Popl: 159,000
www.solingen.de
(North-Rhine Westphalia) |
Tim Kurzbach (Mr) |
Elected 2015; Re-electd in 2020; Next election 2025 |
Born 1978 in Solingen;
Social Agencies Manager
Prominent in the Catholic Church in the region.
Elected with support of Green Party.
Party: SPD |
Stuttgart
Popl: 607,000
www.stuttgart.de
(State capital of Baden-Württemberg) |
Frank Nopper (Mr) |
Elected 2020; Next election 2028 |
Born 1961;
15-months military service; 3-year banking apprenticeship with Dresdner Bank; Studied law in Tübingen and Speyer; PhD from University Tübingen; From 2002 to 2020 Mayor of Backnang (Baden-Württemberg).
Party: CDU |
Wiesbaden
Popl: 277.000
www.wiesbaden.de
(State capital of Hesse) |
Gert-Uwe Mende (Mr) |
Elected 2019; Next election 2025 |
Born 1974 in Bonn
Studied history, politics and economics at University of Göttingen; Trainee journalist; From 1991 to 1999 press spokesman for the Hesse interior minister; Since 1999 first press spokesman and then leader of the SPD fraction in the Hessian parliament
Party: SPD |
Wuppertal
Popl: 345,000
www.wuppertal.de
(North Rhine-Westphalia) |
Uwe Schneidewind (Mr) |
Elected 2020; Next elections 2025 |
Born 1966
Studied business & commerce at the University of Cologne. Doctorate from St Gallen University in Economics and Environment. From 1998 to 2008 professor at Oldenburg University. From 2010 to 2020 Head of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy.
Party: Green Party |
German cities and mayors