List of mayors of Berlin

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The following is a chronological list of mayors of Berlin, the capital city and city-state of Germany. The mayors are the head of the city-state, part of the senate of Berlin.

Contents

List

Napoleonic Empire (1806–1809)

In 1806 the French occupants gathered 2,000 wealthy Berliners in St. Peter's Church, Berlin, in order to elect the Grand conseil (grand council) of sixty members again electing the Comité administratif (administrative committee). This body of seven elected burghers was the provisional city government competent to carry out the orders of the occupation power, especially to raise the French war contributions by levying them mostly from the 2,000 eligible voters. The président of the committee was the Berlin-based Prussian publisher: [1]

PortraitName
(Born–Died)
Term of officePolitical party
Took officeLeft officeDays
1 François Théodore de Lagarde
(1756–1824)
27 October 1806 6 July 1809983Unknown

Lord Mayor of the Royal Capital Berlin (1809–1920)

Political party:   Independent    SPD

PortraitName
(Born–Died)
Term of officePolitical party
Took officeLeft officeDays
Kingdom of Prussia (until 1867)
Berlin was the capital city of the Kingdom of Prussia
1 Carl Friedrich Leopold von Gerlach (cropped).jpg Leopold von Gerlach
(1757–1813)
6 July 18098 June 18131433Non-partisan
2 JohannStephanBusching.jpg Johann Gottfried Büsching
(1761–1833)
February 1814March 18326603Non-partisan
3 Friedrich Wilhelm Baerensprung.jpg Friedrich von Bärensprung
(1779–1841)
March 18326 October 1834949Non-partisan
4 Heinrich Wilhelm Krausnick.jpg Wilhelm Krausnick
(1797–1882)
6 October 183420 March 18484914Non-partisan
Franz Christian Naunyn
(1799–1860)
Acting
20 March 184823 January 18511039Non-partisan
(4) Heinrich Wilhelm Krausnick.jpg Wilhelm Krausnick
(1797–1882)
23 January 185130 December 18624359Non-partisan
5 Karl Theodor Seydel.jpg Karl Theodor Seydel
(1812–1873)
12 January 186318 January 18711492Non-partisan
German Empire (1867–1918)
Berlin was the capital city of the Kingdom of Prussia, which is since 1871 part of the German Reich
(5) Karl Theodor Seydel.jpg Karl Theodor Seydel
(1812–1873)
18 January 18711 April 1872439Non-partisan
6 ArthurHobrecht.jpg Arthur Hobrecht
(1824–1912)
16 May 18721 April 18782146 National Liberal Party
7 Max von Forckenbeck.jpg Max von Forckenbeck
(1824–1892)
21 November 187826 May 18924935 National Liberal Party
8 Robert Zelle, der neue Oberburgermeister, 1893.png Robert Zelle
(1829–1901)
26 September 189230 September 18982191 Free-minded People's Party
9 Martin Kirschner 001.JPG Martin Kirschner
(1842–1912)
23 December 189931 August 19124634Non-partisan
10 AdolfWermuth.JPG Adolf Wermuth
(1855-1927)
1 September 19129 November 19182260Non-partisan
Weimar Republic (1918–1933)
(10) AdolfWermuth.JPG Adolf Wermuth
(1855-1927)
9 November 19181 October 1920692Non-partisan

Lord Mayor of (Greater) Berlin (1918–1935)

PortraitName
(Born–Died)
Term of officePolitical party
Took officeLeft officeDays
Weimar Republic (1918–1933)
Berlin was the capital city of the Weimar Republic
(10) AdolfWermuth.JPG Adolf Wermuth
(1855-1927)
1 October 192030 November 192060Non-partisan
11 Gustav Boss (cropped).JPG Gustav Böß
(1873–1946)
10 February 19217 November 19293192 German Democratic Party
Arthur Scholtz (cropped).jpg Arthur Scholtz
(1871–1935)
Acting
7 November 192920 April 1931692 German People's Party
12 Heinrich Sahm.jpg Heinrich Sahm
(1877–1939)
20 April 193130 January 1933651Non-partisan
Nazi Germany (1933–1945)
Berlin was the capital city of the Weimar Republic
(12) Heinrich Sahm.jpg Heinrich Sahm
(1877–1939)
30 January 193330 January 1935730Non-partisan (until 1933)
Nazi Party (from 1933)

City President of Berlin (1935–1945)

The Nazi government introduced a new unitary municipal ordinance for all German municipalities and cities accounting for the de facto abolition of municipal democracy and autonomy since the Nazi takeover in 1933. According to the new ordinance the administrative head of the city was now titled Stadtpräsident (City President). The Oberbürgermeister remained in a ceremonial role.

Political party:   NSDAP

PortraitName
(Born–Died)
Term of officePolitical party
Took officeLeft officeDays
Nazi Germany (1933–1945)
Berlin was the capital city of Nazi Germany
(12) Heinrich Sahm.jpg Heinrich Sahm
(1877–1939)
30 January 193518 December 1935322 Nazi Party
Oskar Maretzky.jpg Oskar Maretzky  [ de ]
(1881–1945)
Acting
19 December 19355 January 1937383 Nazi Party (not party-member)
13 Bundesarchiv Bild 183-H13561, Julius Lippert.jpg Julius Lippert
(1895–1956)
5 January 19371 July 19401273 Nazi Party
14 Ludwig Steeg
(1894–1945)
1 July 19402 May 19451766 Nazi Party

Lord Mayor of Greater Berlin under Allied occupation (1945–1948)

Following Berlin's provisional post-war constitution, enacted under quadripartite Allied rule, the head of city government was titled again Oberbürgermeister (generally "Lord Mayor").

Political party:   IND    SPD    CDU

PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical party
Took officeLeft officeDays
Berlin under quadripartite Allied control (1945–1948)
15 Fotothek df pk 0000079 061.jpg Arthur Werner
(1877–1967)
17 May 194510 December 1946572Non-partisan
16 Otto Ostrowski.jpg Otto Ostrowski
(1883–1963)
10 December 194611 June 1947183 Social Democratic Party
Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F046121-0033, Koblenz, "Rittersturz-Konferenz", Schroeder.jpg Louise Schroeder
(1887–1957)
Acting [lower-alpha 1]
11 June 194714 August 1948430 Social Democratic Party
WP Ferdinand Friedensburg.jpg Ferdinand Friedensburg
(1886–1972)
Acting for Schroeder [lower-alpha 2]
14 August 19481 December 1948109 Christian Democratic Union
Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F046121-0033, Koblenz, "Rittersturz-Konferenz", Schroeder.jpg Louise Schroeder
(1887–1957)
Acting
1 December 19487 December 19486 Social Democratic Party
17 ErnstReuter1951 (cropped).jpg Ernst Reuter
(1889–1953)
(West Berlin only)
7 December 19481 February 1951786 Social Democratic Party

Lord Mayor of Berlin (1948–1990)

Political party:   SED    PDS    SPD

PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical party
Took officeLeft officeDays
East Berlin (1948–1949)
East Berlin was under Soviet occupation and was fully controlled by them from November 1948 until the founding of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).
1 Bundesarchiv Bild 183-83285-0029, Friedrich Ebert.jpg Friedrich Ebert Jr.
(1894–1979)
30 November 19487 October 1949311 Socialist Unity Party
East Berlin (1948–1990)
East Berlin was de facto the capital city of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany)
(1) Bundesarchiv Bild 183-83285-0029, Friedrich Ebert.jpg Friedrich Ebert Jr.
(1894–1979)
7 October 1949 5 July 19676480 Socialist Unity Party
2 Herbert Fechner.jpg Herbert Fechner
(1913–1998)
5 July 196711 February 19742413 Socialist Unity Party
3 Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1987-1028-040, Berlin, 750-Jahr-Feier, Stadtverordnetenversammlung (cropped).jpg Erhard Krack
(1931–2000)
11 February 197415 February 19905848 Socialist Unity Party
No image.svg Ingrid Pankraz
(born 1948)
Acting
15 February 199023 February 19908 Party of Democratic Socialism
4 No image.svg Christian Hartenhauer [ de ]
(born 1948)
23 February 199030 May 199096 Party of Democratic Socialism
5 Tino Schwierzina (cropped2).jpg Tino Schwierzina
(1927–2003)
30 May 19903 October 1990126 Social Democratic Party in the GDR
East Berlin was reunited with West Berlin on October 3, 1990 and dissolved.

Governing Mayor of Berlin (1951–present)

Political party:   SPD    CDU

PortraitName
(Birth–Death)
Term of officePolitical party
Took officeLeft officeDays
West Berlin (1948–1990)
West Berlin was de facto part of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany)
1 ErnstReuter1951 (cropped).jpg Ernst Reuter
(1889–1953)
1 February 195129 September 1953971 Social Democratic Party
2 Walther Schreiber (cropped).jpg Walther Schreiber
(1884–1958)
29 September 195311 January 1955469 Christian Democratic Union
3 DBPB 1958 181 Otto Suhr.jpg Otto Suhr
(1955–1957)
11 January 195530 August 1957
(died in office)
962 Social Democratic Party
4 Willy Brandt (1959).jpg Willy Brandt
(1913–1992)
3 October 19571 December 19663346 Social Democratic Party
5 Heinrich Albertz.jpg Heinrich Albertz
(1915–1993)
1 December 196619 October 1967322 Social Democratic Party
6 Klaus Schutz thumb.jpg Klaus Schütz
(1926–2012)
19 October 19672 May 19773483 Social Democratic Party
7 Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F043773-0039, Bonn, Laubenpieperfest Landesvertretung Berlin (cropped).jpg Dietrich Stobbe
(1938–2011)
2 May 197823 January 19811362 Social Democratic Party
8 Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F079276-0009, Munster, SPD-Parteitag, Vogel (cropped).jpg Hans-Jochen Vogel
(1926–2020)
23 January 198111 June 1981139 Social Democratic Party
9 Richard von Weizsacker.jpg Richard von Weizsäcker
(1920–2015)
11 June 19819 February 1984973 Christian Democratic Union
10 KAS-Diepgen, Eberhard-Bild-4379-1 (cropped).jpg Eberhard Diepgen
(born 1941)
9 February 198416 March 19891862 Christian Democratic Union
11 Walter Momper 1990 (cropped).jpg Walter Momper
(born 1945)
16 March 198924 January 1991565 Social Democratic Party
West Berlin was reunited with East Berlin on October 3, 1990 and dissolved.
Reunified Berlin (1990–present)
City-state and capital city of the Federal Republic of Germany
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1990-0506-022, Berlin, Kommunalwahl, Schwierzina, Momper.jpg Walter Momper
(born 1945) &
Tino Schwierzina [2]
(1927–2003)
3 October 199024 January 1991113 Social Democratic Party
12
(10)
KAS-Diepgen, Eberhard-Bild-4379-1 (cropped).jpg Eberhard Diepgen
(born 1941)
24 January 199116 June 20013796 Christian Democratic Union
13 Klaus Wowereit 2012-02-24 (cropped).jpg Klaus Wowereit
(born 1953)
16 June 200111 December 20144926 Social Democratic Party
14 2017-11-16 Michael Muller (Wiki Loves Parliaments 2017 in Berlin) by Sandro Halank.jpg Michael Müller
(born 1964)
11 December 201421 December 20212567 Social Democratic Party
15 2021-09-26 Abgeordnetenhauswahlabend SPD Berlin by Sandro Halank-030.jpg Franziska Giffey
(born 1978)
21 December 2021 [3] 27 April 2023492 Social Democratic Party
16 2014-09-09 - Kai Wegner MdB - 7002.jpg Kai Wegner
(born 1972)
27 April 2023Incumbent38 Christian Democratic Union

Notes

  1. Louise Schroeder replaced the Lord Mayor-elect Ernst Reuter, who was barred by Soviet veto.
  2. Ferdinand Friedensburg was acting Lord Mayor of Great Berlin due to the illness of acting Lord Mayor Louise Schroeder during the Berlin Blockade in 1948. Schröder resumed her duties on 1 December 1948 and continued until Ernst Reuter was elected on 7 December 1948.

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References

  1. Cf. Werner Gahrig, Unterwegs zu den Hugenotten in Berlin. Historische Spaziergänge, extended and corrected ed., Berlin: edition ost/Das Neue Berlin, 22000, p. 83. ISBN   3-360-01013-2
  2. German Reunification Treaty, Artikel 16
  3. "Berlin: Franziska Giffey sworn in as first elected female mayor". Deutsche Welle. 21 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.