Berlin City Government Overview

MAYOR

Klaus Wowereit (born 1 October 1953 in West Berlin) is a German politician, member of the SPD (Social Democratic Party), and has been the Mayor of Berlin since the 2001 state elections, where his party won a plurality of the votes, 29.7%. He served as President of the Bundesrat (the fourth highest office in Germany) in 2001/02. His SPD-led coalition was re-elected in the 2006 elections. He is also sometimes mentioned as a possible SPD candidate for the Chancellorship of Germany (Kanzlerkandidatur) in the next German federal election.

Until 1973, Klaus Wowereit attended the Ulrich-von-Hutten-Oberschule in Berlin. Afterwards, he studied law at the Free University Berlin (State Exams, 1981 and 1984).

CITY HALL

31 December 2006: Red City Hall – 'Rotes Rathaus' - is how the citizens of Berlin refer to their City Hall. Most Germans know that Berlin City Hall is meant when people talk about Rotes Rathaus because of the reddish colour of its brick walls. Since German reunification 1990 the Red City Hall has been the seat of Berlin's Governing Mayor - who is also a state prime minister because Berlin is a city-state - and the Senate, the Berlin state government. Before the reunification of Germany the building was home to East Berlin's communist local government in the era of the German Democratic Republic (DDR), while the city council of democratic West Berlin resided in the Schöneberg–District City Hall.

The listed building was constructed in the style of the north Italian High Renaissance from 1861–69, according to the plans of renowned architect Hermann Friedrich Waesemann. An entire district of Berlin had to be demolished to make way for the new building, built on a plot measuring 99 by 88 metres. To the outside it appears as a four-wing building, but in the interior there are intermediate wings that create three inner courtyards.

New City Hall replaced the old, mediaeval town hall that was situated at the same spot. Over the centuries it gradually become unable to meet the demands made upon it. Only two years after the building was completed, the German Reich was unified by Kaiser Wilhelm I and Berlin became the mighty capital of the old German Reich, so consequently the new City Hall became the supreme administrative building.

Many high society events were held in the representative rooms of City Hall during the days of Kaiser Wilhelm I, who personally favoured the building. One of the outstanding features of City hall is the characteristic tower, which is 74 metres high and is reminiscent of the bell tower of the cathedral in the French city of Laon. In 1879, the so called Stony Chronicle, a terracotta frieze on the first floor consisting of 36 plates, each 6m in length, showing scenes from the history of Berlin up to 1871, was added to the building.

BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

The Berlin Board on 15 August to its inaugural meeting come together. At the inaugural session after about two hours of discussion the following agreements were made:

1. The board will discuss berlin Berlin to discuss future issues and related projects. It sees itself as a national committee for good positioning of Berlin and internationally.

2. The Berlin Board is a bipartisan panel of independent persons, working for positive change in the city. The members, the commitment to Berlin and his future in common.

3. As a first step, a market research was commissioned by the local conditions of Berlin and the city's image in the minds of the people structured manner. This market research is nationally and internationally designed. The results are available in November.

4. On the next board meeting in Berlin November, the steps for the next two years will be decided. This is held to discuss a draft of a work program between the members of the Berlin Board.

5. The brand strategy includes the tendering of a Berlin campaign. The invitation to tender for design, and creation of the campaign slogan appears on the Berlin 17:08:07 OJ. It is also available on the Internet.