Harry Blum (18. October 1944 in

Lennestadt Lennestadt (occasionally also ''die Lennestadt'') lies in the Sauerland in southeast North Rhine-Westphalia and is a community in Olpe district. It is the district's most populous municipality. Lennestadt itself is not an actual town but a commun ...

- Elspe,

Sauerland The Sauerland () is a rural, hilly area spreading across most of the south-eastern part of North Rhine-Westphalia, in parts heavily forested and, apart from the major valleys, sparsely inhabited. The Sauerland is the largest tourist region in ...

; died 17. March 2000 in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

) was a German politician and member of the CDU. On 1. October 1999 he became the first directly elected

mayor of Cologne This is a list of mayors of Cologne. It includes the Lord Mayors of Cologne (''Oberbürgermeister der Stadt Köln'') since 1815 as well as the city managers (''Oberstadtdirektoren'') from 1946 to 1999. Mayors since 1815 Lord Mayors of Colo ...

, but he only held that office for six months when he died suddenly in March 2000.

Background and earlier life

Harry Blum was born ''Johannes Jacob Blum'' into an Old Colognian family, but the family was evacuated during the war. He received his

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

Dreikönigsgymnasium The Dreikönigsgymnasium ("Tricoronatum", meaning "Three Kings School", sometimes called in English the College of the Three Crowns) is a regular public Gymnasium (school), Gymnasium located in Cologne, Germany. Founded in 1450 by the city of Colo ...

and studied law at the

University of Cologne The University of Cologne (german: Universität zu Köln) is a university in Cologne, Germany. It was established in the year 1388 and is one of the most prestigious and research intensive universities in Germany. It was the sixth university to ...

. Blum joined the Christian Democratic Union in 1964 and was a member of the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

since 1984.

Mayor of Cologne

Shortly before his election as mayor he adopted his long-time nickname as official first name and was henceforth Harry Johannes Jacob Blum. As one of his initiatives as councillor and mayor was the implementation of an

architectural lighting Architectural lighting design is a field of work or study that is concerned with the design of lighting systems within the built environment, both interior and exterior. It can include manipulation and design of both daylight and electric ...

concept for the city, which helped the city win the city.people.light award 2005.International City-People-Light Awards 2005 winners: Cologne, Tampere (Finland) and Cannes
/ref>

Legacy

Harry-Blum-Platz in Cologne's

Rheinauhafen The Rheinauhafen (lit. ''Rheinau harbour'') is a urban regeneration project in Cologne, Germany, located along the river Rhine between the Südbrücke (Southern Railway Bridge) and Severinsbrücke (Severin Bridge), just south of the inner city's ...

is named after him.

References

1944 births 2000 deaths People from Lennestadt Mayors of Cologne University of Cologne alumni Christian Democratic Union of Germany politicians {{Germany-CDU-politician-stub