The government of Hamburg is divided into
executive
Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to:
Role or title
* Executive, a senior management role in an organization
** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators
** Executive dir ...
,
legislative
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government.
Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...
and
judicial
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudication, adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and app ...
branches.
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
is a
city-state
A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...
and
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
, and thus its
governance
Governance is the process of interactions through the laws, social norm, norms, power (social and political), power or language of an organized society over a social system (family, tribe, formal organization, formal or informal organization, a ...
deals with several details of both state and local community politics. It takes place in two ranks – a citywide and state administration (
Senate of Hamburg
The government of Hamburg is divided into executive, legislative and judicial branches. Hamburg is a city-state and municipality, and thus its governance deals with several details of both state and local community politics. It takes place in two ...
), and a local rank for the boroughs. The head of the city-state's government is the
First Mayor and President of the Senate. A ministry is called ''Behörde'' (office) and a state
minister is a ''Senator'' in Hamburg. The legislature is the state parliament, called ''
Hamburgische Bürgerschaft'', and the judicial branch is composed of the state supreme court and other courts. The seat of the government is
Hamburg Rathaus
Hamburg City Hall (german: link=no, Hamburger Rathaus, ) is the seat of local government of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany. It is the seat of the government of Hamburg and as such, the seat of one of Germany's 16 state parliame ...
. The
President of the Hamburg Parliament
The President of the Hamburg Parliament ({{Lang-de, Präsident der Hamburgischen Bürgerschaft) presides over the sessions of the Bürgerschaft, the parliament of Hamburg, with functions similar to that of a speaker in other countries. In the Ham ...
is the highest official person of the Free and
Hanseatic City
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German t ...
of Hamburg.
[constitution of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, § 18] This is a traditional difference to the other German states. The president is not allowed to exert any occupation of the executive.
Prior to 1871, Hamburg was a fully
sovereign
''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'.
The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...
country, and its government a sovereign government. Upon joining the
German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
, the city-state retained partial sovereignty as a federal state. It was one of three republics within the German Empire until 1919, which meant that its First Mayor enjoyed the same rank in the Empire as the
federal prince Federal prince (german: Bundesfürsten, "Princes of the Federation") was the generic term for the royal heads of state (monarchs) of the various states making up the German Empire, with the exception of the states that were republics and Alsace-L ...
s. Prior to the constitutional reforms in 1919, the hereditary
grand burgher
Grand Burgher aleor Grand Burgheress emale(from German: Großbürger ale Großbürgerin emale is a specific conferred or inherited title of medieval German origin and legally defined preeminent status granting exclusive constitutional privile ...
s, or
Hanseaten, had a legally privileged position and were the only ones eligible for election to the senate.
The local rank is organised in the
7 boroughs of Hamburg.
Political system
The bases of the political system are the
Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany
The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The West German Constitution was approved in Bonn on 8 May 1949 and came in ...
and the
Constitution of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg.
The Free and
Hanseatic city
The Hanseatic League (; gml, Hanse, , ; german: label=Modern German, Deutsche Hanse) was a medieval commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Central and Northern Europe. Growing from a few North German t ...
of Hamburg is its own state in the Federal Republic of Germany. Hamburg is a
republic
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
,
democratic welfare state
A welfare state is a form of government in which the state (or a well-established network of social institutions) protects and promotes the economic and social well-being of its citizens, based upon the principles of equal opportunity, equitabl ...
and a
constitutional state
''Rechtsstaat'' (lit. "state of law"; "legal state") is a doctrine in continental European legal thinking, originating in Dutch and German jurisprudence. It can be translated into English as " rule of law", alternatively "legal state", state ...
. At the same time Hamburg is a municipality, there is no separation between these two administrative tasks. The power to create a law is restricted by federal law.
There is a clear
separation of powers
Separation of powers refers to the division of a state's government into branches, each with separate, independent powers and responsibilities, so that the powers of one branch are not in conflict with those of the other branches. The typic ...
.
Legislature
![Plenarsaal Hamburgische Bürgerschaft IMG 6403 6404 6405 edit](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Plenarsaal_Hamburgische_B%C3%BCrgerschaft_IMG_6403_6404_6405_edit.jpg)
The power to create, amend and ratify laws (
legislature
A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...
) is given to the parliament. A
plebiscite
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
and a
referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
is possible due to the Constitution of Hamburg. In other German states the parliament is called ''Landtag''.
The
President of the Hamburg Parliament
The President of the Hamburg Parliament ({{Lang-de, Präsident der Hamburgischen Bürgerschaft) presides over the sessions of the Bürgerschaft, the parliament of Hamburg, with functions similar to that of a speaker in other countries. In the Ham ...
is the highest official person of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.
The parliament is among other things responsible for the law, the election of the ''Erster Bürgermeister'' (
First Mayor) for the election period and the control of the Senate (
cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
). The parliament is unicameral and the (currently) 123 deputies are elected in universal, direct, free, equal and secret elections every five years.
Executive
![Hamburger Senat](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/Hamburger_Senat.jpg)
The
executive
Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to:
Role or title
* Executive, a senior management role in an organization
** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators
** Executive dir ...
is the ''Senat der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg'' (
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
of Hamburg / cabinet). Its purpose is to enforce the laws. The senate is responsible for the day-to-day management and head of this branch is the First Mayor. The senate represents Hamburg to the federal government and other states or countries.
The ''Senat der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg'' is formed by the First Mayor of Hamburg,
[Constitution of Hamburg (Article 33, 34, 35)] the
Minister President
A minister-president or minister president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments with a parliamentary system, parliamentary or semi-presidential system, semi-presidential system of government where ...
and mayor of Hamburg. His deputy is the Second Mayor, who at the same time is also the senator of a ministry. The senate is permitted no more than 12 members by law. This law also regulates among other, the remuneration, pension, privilege to refuse to give evidence and the legal position of Hamburg judges. The senators get appointed by the First Mayor and thereafter they need to get elected by Hamburg Parliament. The First Mayor forms the ministries, according to the coalition agreement of the ruling parties.
History
Until 1860 the government of Hamburg was called ''Rath'' or ''Rat'' (board/council), the members had been ''Ratsherrn'' (councillors) and ''Bürgermeister'' (
Burgomaster
Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, literally "master of the town, master of the borough, master of the fortress, master of the citizens") is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief m ...
). After a change of the Constitution of Hamburg in 1861 the government was called ''Hamburger Senat''. The terms senate and senator are also sometimes used retrospectively when referring to the body and its members before 1861. During the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, when Hamburg was occupied and then annexed into France, the existing Hamburg council was replaced by a municipal council (''conseil municipal'' or ''Munizipalrat''), which existed from 1813 to 1814, when the previous constitution was reinstated.
Prior to
the First World War the two mayors were elected for one-year-terms. Until 1997 the First Mayor was
Primus inter pares
''Primus inter pares'' is a Latin phrase meaning first among equals. It is typically used as an honorary title for someone who is formally equal to other members of their group but is accorded unofficial respect, traditionally owing to their sen ...
among his colleagues in the Senate, by whom he was elected. Since then, he has been elected by the parliament and been able appoint and to dismiss other senators.
[
]
Judiciary
Interpreting the law (Judiciary
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
) is the task of the ''Hamburgisches Verfassungsgericht'' (Constitutional Court of Hamburg) and 17 other courts throughout Hamburg.
The supreme court consists of a president of the court and 8 judges. The president and 3 judges have to be lifetime judges in Hamburg. The Diet of Hamburg elect the judges for 6 years and they can only serve two terms in total. The schedule of responsibilities are based on the constitution of Hamburg (Art. 65) and the ''Gesetzes über das Hamburgische Verfassungsgericht'' (Law of the Constitutional Court of Hamburg) (§ 14).
The professional judges of the other courts are appointed by the senate according to a nomination of a committee.
Ministries
In 2018, there are eleven senators holding ministerial positions and the head of state, the First mayor. A senator is the presiding minister for a ''Behörde'' (translated: 'government agency' meaning here is more ministry
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian ...
).
;State Chancellery
The State Chancellery (German: ''Senatskanzlei'') coordinate the senate and support the mayor. The First Mayor is head in this government agency. In 2018, the First Mayor of Hamburg is Peter Tschentscher (SPD).
;Ministry of Schools and Vocational Training
The Ministry of Schools and Vocational Training (German: ''Behörde für Schule und Berufsbildung'') is responsible for managing the school system of Hamburg.
;Ministry of Science, Research and Equal Opportunities
(German: ''Behörde für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Gleichstellung'')
;Ministry of the Interior and Sports
Among others the ''Behörde für Inneres und Sport'' is the oversight authority for the law enforcement agencies
A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.
Jurisdiction
LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction.
LEA ...
in Hamburg, the fire brigade, for disaster control and its units, the residents registration offices and the State Election Office. The Scientology Task Force (''Arbeitsgruppe Scientology'') got dissolved at the end of 2010.
;Ministry of Finance
(German: ''Finanzbehörde'')
;Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transportation and Innovation
(German: ''Behörde für Wirtschaft, Verkehr und Innovation'')
;Ministry of Environment and Energy
(German: ''Behörde für Umwelt und Energie'')
;Ministry of Justice
The Ministry of Justice (German: ''Justizbehörde'') is in charge of correctional facilities, the courts and the revision of laws. In 2018, Till Steffen
Till Steffen (born 22 July 1973) is a German lawyer and politician of Alliance 90/The Greens who has been serving as a member of the German Bundestag since the 2021 elections, representing the Hamburg-Eimsbüttel district.
From 2015 until 202 ...
(GAL) is the Minister of Justice of Hamburg.
;Ministry of Health and Consumer Protection
(German: ''Behörde für Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz'')
;Ministry of Culture, Sports and Media
On May 7, 2008 the former Ministry of Culture was renamed to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Media (German: ''Behörde für Kultur, Sport und Medien''), and is now, among other duties, responsible for tourism, the public record office of Hamburg, the office of the protection of historical monuments, and the memorial site for the Neuengamme concentration camp
Neuengamme was a network of Nazi concentration camps in Northern Germany that consisted of the main camp, Neuengamme, and more than 85 satellite camps. Established in 1938 near the village of Neuengamme in the Bergedorf district of Hamburg, th ...
. In 2005 its annual budget
A budget is a calculation play, usually but not always financial, for a defined period, often one year or a month. A budget may include anticipated sales volumes and revenues, resource quantities including time, costs and expenses, environmenta ...
was €212.7 million.
;Ministry of Employment, Social Affairs, Family Affairs and Integration
(German: ''Behörde für Arbeit, Soziales, Familie und Integration'')
;Ministry of City Development and Housing
(German: ''Behörde für Stadtentwicklung und Wohnen'')
Law enforcement
Since law enforcement and police duties are partly in the responsibility of the German states, Hamburg has its own police force
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...
. This forces consists of the state police
State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction o ...
'' Polizei Hamburg'', the State Criminal Police Office (German: ''Landeskriminalamt
The State Criminal Police Office, or Landeskriminalamt (LKA) in German, is an independent law enforcement agency in all 16 German states that is directly subordinate to the state's ministry of the interior.
Missions
Investigations
LKAs superv ...
''), the Criminal Investigation Services (''Kriminalpolizei
''Kriminalpolizei'' (, "criminal police") is the standard term for the criminal investigation agency within the police forces of Germany, Austria, and the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland. In Nazi Germany, the Kripo was the criminal polic ...
''), the Water Police (''Wasserschutzpolizei
The ''Wasserschutzpolizei'' (WSP - literally translated "Water Protection Police" in German) is the river police that patrols the waterways, lakes and harbours of Germany around the clock. The WSP are part of the ''Landespolizei'' (State Pol ...
'') controlling traffic in the port of Hamburg
The Port of Hamburg (german: Hamburger Hafen, ) is a seaport on the river Elbe in Hamburg, Germany, from its mouth on the North Sea.
Known as Germany's "Gateway to the World" (''Tor zur Welt''), it is the country's largest seaport by volume ...
, the Stand-by Police (''Bereitschaftspolizei
The ''Bereitschaftspolizei'' (literally 'Readiness Police'/On-Call Police (Reserve); effectively riot police) are the support and rapid reaction units of Germany's police forces. They are composed of detachments from the Federal Police and ...
''), the Special Weapons and Tactics Unit ('' Spezialeinsatzkommando'') and Mobile Surveillance Units (''Mobiles Einsatzkommando''). The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution (''Landesamt für den Verfassungsschutz'') is Hamburg's domestic intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, Intelligence analysis, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security, military, public safety, and foreign policy objective ...
. The Ministry of the Interior has the legal and technical oversight for the law enforcement agencies.[
]
Elections
Elections for the state parliament of Hamburg are held every five years, combined with the elections of the diet of the boroughs (''Bezirksversammlungen''). Since 2013, also minors who are 16 or older are allowed to vote for any elections in Hamburg.
Political parties
The main political parties
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific ideological or pol ...
in Hamburg are the Christian Democratic Union (represented by the CDU Hamburg), the Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
For ...
, Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance 90/The Greens (german: Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, ), often simply referred to as the Greens ( ), is a Green politics, green List of political parties in Germany, political party in Germany. It was formed in 1993 as the merger of The Greens ...
, The Left and the Free Democratic Party.
The Statt Party is a minor political party which was founded in 1993. The party was elected to the Hamburg Parliament
The Hamburg Parliament (german: Hamburgische Bürgerschaft; literally “Hamburgish Citizenry”) is the unicameral legislature of the German state of Hamburg according to the constitution of Hamburg. As of 2011 there were 121 members in the parli ...
in the Hamburg state election of 1993. The governing SPD and the new Statt Party formed a coalition to rule until 1997, when the party lost all seats.
The Party for a Rule of Law Offensive
The Party for a Rule of Law Offensive, Rule of Law State Offensive Party,, Party for the Promotion of the Rule of Law, Law and Order Offensive Party, or Party of Law and Order Offensive (german: Partei Rechtsstaatlicher Offensive),''Rechtsstaat'' i ...
(Partei Rechtsstaatlicher Offensive - Offensive D) was a right-wing populist
Right-wing populism, also called national populism and right-wing nationalism, is a political ideology that combines right-wing politics and populist rhetoric and themes. Its rhetoric employs anti- elitist sentiments, opposition to the Establ ...
party which was represented in the Hamburg Parliament from 2001 until 2004, receiving 19.4% of votes. It is now defunct.
Honours and awards
The highest honour awarded by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg is honorary citizenship
Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honour usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...
(''Ehrenbürgerrecht''). It is officially given by the senate, although the parliament must also confirm the senate's nominee. Honorary citizenship is comparable to the Freedom of the City
The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...
, an honour awarded by many nations.
The ''Golden Book'' consists of the signatures of especially honoured guests of Hamburg. The book, in actuality, is a golden leather-bound box and doesn't have fixed sheets. It was a gift of the family of the First Mayor Carl Friedrich Petersen
Carl Friedrich Petersen (6 July 1809 in Hamburg – 14 November 1892 in Hamburg) was a Hamburg lawyer and politician, who served several terms as First Mayor of Hamburg. He was a Hamburg senator from 1855 until his death.
Education and early car ...
. In 1937 the German leader Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
signed the book before giving a public speech in Hamburg. During denazification
Denazification (german: link=yes, Entnazifizierung) was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of the Nazi ideology following the Second World War. It was carried out by remov ...
Hitler's sheet, as well as those of other Nazis, was removed from the book. The only Nazi signature remaining is from Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels (; 29 October 1897 – 1 May 1945) was a German Nazi politician who was the ''Gauleiter'' (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 19 ...
, due to the fact that he wrote on the same sheet as the former German President Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg (; abbreviated ; 2 October 1847 – 2 August 1934) was a German field marshal and statesman who led the Imperial German Army during World War I and later became President of Germany fro ...
. The Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...
signed the ''Golden Book'' during his 5th visit to Hamburg in February 2007.
;Decorations
Historically, Hamburg's citizens have not been legally allowed to receive decorations
Decoration may refer to:
* Decorative arts
* A house painter and decorator's craft
* An act or object intended to increase the beauty of a person, room, etc.
* An award that is a token of recognition to the recipient intended for wearing
Other ...
—only medals or medallions. When it was first enacted in the 13th century, the law applied only to members of the senate and Hamburg's judges.[ (in German)] It was, however, later extended to all citizens by the senate. One of the few citizens of a Hanseatic city to receive a decoration was the entrepreneur Alwin Münchmeyer, who later stated that this were his "falls of mankind". Helmut Schmidt
Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt (; 23 December 1918 – 10 November 2015) was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), who served as the chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982.
Before becoming Cha ...
, former Hamburg Senator of the Interior and German Chancellor
The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany,; often shortened to ''Bundeskanzler''/''Bundeskanzlerin'', / is the head of the federal government of Germany and the commander in chief of the Ge ...
, declined several times to accept the Federal Cross of Merit
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...
, stating that he had been a Hamburg senator and, according to Hanseatic tradition, was not permitted to wear decorations.
In 1843 a fire medal was awarded to the volunteer firefighters who assisted Hamburg during the great fire that engulfed the city from 5 May 1842 until 8 May. In total 4858 medals were awarded. The inscription on the medal states "Das Dankbare Hamburg Seinen Freunden In Der Noth" ("The grateful Hamburg in need to its friends").
During World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
the Hanseatic Cross
The Hanseatic Cross (German: ''Hanseatenkreuz'') was a military decoration of the three Hanseatic city-states of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck, who were members of the German Empire during World War I. Each republic established its own version of ...
(German: ''Hanseatenkreuz'') was awarded by the three Hanseatic Cities of Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
, Hamburg and Lübeck
Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...
, who were member states of the German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
. Each city-state established its own version of the cross, but the design and award criteria were similar for each. There were approximately 50,000 awards of the Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg.
;Medallions
In 2007 the ''Herbert Weichmann medallion'', named for the First Mayor Herbert Weichmann
Herbert Weichmann (23 February 1896 – 9 October 1983) was a German lawyer and politician ( Social Democratic Party) and First Mayor of Hamburg (1965–1971). In his position as mayor of Hamburg, he served as President of the Bundesrat (19 ...
(in office 1965 – 1971), was granted for the first time by the city of Hamburg, honoring "those—both Jewish and non-Jewish—who have contributed to Jewish life in Germany". Its first recipients were Paul Spiegel
Paul Spiegel (31 December 1937, in Warendorf, Germany – 30 April 2006, in Düsseldorf, Germany) was leader of the Central Council of Jews in Germany (Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland) and the main spokesman of the German Jews. He was widely p ...
(posthumous), who was a member of the executive committee of the Central Council of Jews in Germany
The Central Council of Jews in Germany (German name: Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland) is a federation of German Jews. It was founded on 19 July 1950, as a response to the increasing isolation of German Jews by the international Jewish communi ...
, and Hinrich Reemtsma, whose foundation contributed €500,000 to the renovation of an old Talmud Torah school into a Jewish community centre.[
]
See also
* Boroughs and quarters of Hamburg
The city of Hamburg in Germany is made up of seven boroughs (German: ''Bezirke'', also known as ''districts'' or ''administrative districts'') and subdivided into 104 quarters (German: ''Stadtteile''). Most of the quarters were former independen ...
* List of diplomatic missions in Hamburg
Notes
References
Constitution of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg
External links
Official website of the Parliament of Hamburg
Senate of Hamburg
Parliament of Hamburg on www.hamburg.de
*
*
{{Authority control