Georg Kronawitter
Encyclopedia
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
politician of the SPD
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
. He was mayor of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
from 1972 to 1978 and from 1984 to 1993.
Kronawitter was born in Oberthann, a part of Schweitenkirchen
Schweitenkirchen
Schweitenkirchen is a municipality in the district of Pfaffenhofen in Bavaria in Germany....
, in the district of Pfaffenhofen
Pfaffenhofen (district)
Pfaffenhofen is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Eichstätt, Kelheim, Freising, Dachau and Neuburg-Schrobenhausen, and the city of Ingolstadt.-History:...
. He became an elementary school teacher in 1949, and earned his certification as a Diplom-Handelslehrer (business teacher) in 1956.
He joined the SPD in 1961 and was elected to the Landtag of Bavaria
Landtag of Bavaria
The Landtag of Bavaria is the unicameral legislature of the state of Bavaria in Germany. Between 1946 and 1999 there was an upper house, the Senate of Bavaria. The parliament meets in the Maximilianeum....
in 1966. In the 1972 local elections, he was elected Mayor of Munich with 55.9 percent of the votes, succeeding Hans-Jochen Vogel
Hans-Jochen Vogel
Hans-Jochen Vogel is a politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany.- Early years and professional career :...
. Due to conflicts within his party, he did not run for mayorship in the 1978 elections, and was succeeded by the CSU
Christian Social Union of Bavaria
The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
's Erich Kiesl. Six years later, he was elected mayor again in the 1 April 1984 run-off election, with 58.1 percent of the votes. In 1990, he was reelected with 61.64 percent of the votes.
In 1978, he was honored with the Ludwig-Thoma medal. In 1993, Kronawitter was honored by the city of Munich for his commitment to social justice and his early awareness of ecological possibilities of fiscal policy.
After his mayoral career, Kronawitter was a major supporter of the successful Initiative-Unser-München petition, which stipulates that no high rise buildings whose height exceeds that of the Frauenkirche (99 m) may be built in Munich.