Germany
Henriette Reker
Köln
Köln
Coat of arms
Area
City: 405.15 km2
Population
City: 1,080,394
Postal zone
51149
Area code(s)
+49 221
Government
Mayor: Henriette Reker
Website
- EN
Henriette Reker
Biography
Cologne is one of Germany's largest and most famous cities, with the Cologne Cathedral as its centrepiece. Right now, this vibrant and diverse city is particularly notable for being one of the few big cities in Germany to have a female mayor. Henriette Reker has been leading Germany's 4th largest city since 2015 and is also Cologne’s first female mayor in history.
Reker was the deputy mayor of Gelsenkirchen for Social Affairs, Health, and Consumer Protection from 2000 to 2010. In 2010, she was selected as Cologne's mayoral deputy for social affairs, integration, and the environment. She was elected mayor of Cologne in 2015 and was reelected in 2020. Reker, who is known for her pro-immigration stance, was also a victim of a politically motivated stabbing attack that occurred on 17 October 2015, one day before the mayoral election.
This brave leader managed to recover and has, since then, been writing a new page in the history of Cologne. Under the inspiring leadership of Mayor Reker, Cologne has grown to be an open city with a strong focus on climate protection, sustainability and innovations. Cologne, being a city with a population of over one million people, holds a huge responsibility in addressing the issues of the 21st century, which mayor Reker is continuously working on. In addition to the topics of climate and sustainability, mayor Reker is equally devoted to promoting human rights and making sure that Cologne remains a city of equality and tolerance.
In 2020, mayor of Cologne came up with 2 major initiatives which demonstrated her strong will for the city to establish itself as one of the most progressive and sustainable German cities. In the initiative titled Cologne 21 – Smart City, players from the administration, urban society, commercial enterprises, and scientific institutions were brought together to jointly design an overarching, attractive, ambitious, and livable future vision. The second initiative looked at the potential, development, and use of creative ideas and digital technology in practically every aspect of municipal government.
More recently, mayor Reker’s fight for freedom and equality was crowned with a special award - Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award. She was chosen as the first winner of an award named after mayor of Gdansk Paweł Adamowicz, who was assassinated in January 2019 while doing his civic duties. The award was created to honour the legacy of Adamowicz, the progressive politician who was a vivid supporter of LGBT rights, immigration, and minority groups. Reker was honoured for the daring and dedication she has shown in promoting diversity, solidarity, and integration as an intrinsic element of Cologne's identity over the past 20 years. (photo credit: wikipedia)
- en
Cologne
More info about city
Cologne is the largest city of Germany's most populous federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the fourth most populous city in Germany after Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich. With slightly over a million inhabitants (1.08 million) within its city boundaries, Cologne is the largest city on the Rhine and also the most populous city both of the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Region.
- en
Car usage declines as cycling gains popularity in Cologne
22.05.2023Cologne has reported on the effectiveness of mobility initiatives, stressing that they are gaining momentum. City authorities headed by Mayor of Cologne Henriette Reker reminded that data was gathered through surveys in October and November last year, with more than 6,000 households taking part. Survey results show that residents use their cars for 25% of all trips, down from roughly 35% in 2017 and 43% in 2006. At the same…
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