Government of Hamburg
Encyclopedia
The government of Hamburg is divided into executive
, legislative
and judicial
branches. Due to the characteristic that Hamburg
is a city-state
and a municipality
in Germany
, the governance deals several details of state politics and community politics. It takes place in two ranks; a city-wide and state administration (Senate of Hamburg), and a local rank for the boroughs. Head for city-wide and state administration is the First Mayor
(Erster Bürgermeister). A ministry is called Behörde (office) and a state minister
is a Senator in Hamburg. The legislature is the state parliament, called Hamburgische Bürgerschaft
, and the judicial branch is composed of the state supreme court and other courts. The seat of the government is Hamburg Rathaus
.
The local rank is organised in the 7 boroughs of Hamburg
.
and the Constitution of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg
.
The Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg is its own state in the Federal Republic of Germany. Hamburg is a republic
, democratic welfare state
and a constitutional state
. At the same time Hamburg is a municipality, there is no separation between these two administrative tasks. The power to create a law is restricted by federal law.
There is a clear separation of powers
.
The power to create, amend and ratify laws (legislature
) is given to the parliament. A plebiscite and a referendum
is possible due to the Constitution of Hamburg. In other German states the parliament is called Landtag.
The parliament is among other things responsible for the law, the election of the Erster Bürgermeister (First Mayor
) for the election period and the control of the Senate (cabinet
). The parliament is a unicameral parliament and the 121 deputies are elected in universal, direct, free, equal and secret elections every four years.
The executive
is the Senat der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg (Senate of Hamburg / cabinet). Its purpose is to enforce the laws. The senate is responsible for the day-to-day management and head of this branch is the First Mayor. The senate represents Hamburg to the federal government and other states or countries.
The Senat der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg is formed by the First Mayor of Hamburg, the Minister President and mayor of Hamburg. His deputy is the Second Mayor. The senate is permitted no more than 12 members by law. This law also regulates among other, the remuneration, pension, privilege to refuse to give evidence and the legal position of Hamburg judges. The senators get appointed by the First Mayor and thereafter they need to get elected by Hamburg Parliament. The First Mayor forms the ministries, according to the coalition agreement of the ruling parties.
). After a change of the Constitution of Hamburg in 1861 the government was called Hamburger Senat.
Prior to the first world war
the two mayors were elected for one-year-terms. Until 1997 the First Mayor was Primus inter pares
among his colleagues in the Senate, by whom he was elected. Since then, he has been elected by the parliament and been able appoint and to dismiss other Senators.
Interpreting the law (Judiciary
) is task of the Hamburgisches Verfassungsgericht (Constitutional Court of Hamburg) and 17 more courts of Hamburg.
The supreme court consists of a president of the court and 8 judges. The president and 3 judges are have to be life time judges in Hamburg. The Diet of Hamburg elect the judges for 6 years and they only can once get reelected. The schedule of responsibilities are based on the constitution of Hamburg (Art. 65) and the Gesetzes über das Hamburgische Verfassungsgericht (Law of the Constitutional Court of Hamburg) (§ 14).
The professional judges of the other courts are appointed by the senate according to a nomination of a committee.
).
State Chancellery
The State Chancellery (German: Senatskanzlei) coordinate the senate and support the mayor. The First Mayor is head in this government agency. In 2011, the First Mayor of Hamburg is Olaf Scholz
.
Ministry of Schools and Vocational Training
The ministry (German: Behörde für Schule und Berufsbildung) is responsible for the school system in Hamburg.
Ministry of Science and Research
(German: Behörde für Wissenschaft und Forschung)
Ministry of the Interior
Among others the Behörde für Inneres is the oversight authority for the law enforcement agencies in Hamburg, the fire brigade, for disaster control and its units, the residents registration offices, the State Election Office and the Scientology Task Force
(Arbeitsgruppe Scientology). In 2008, Christoph Ahlhaus (CDU) is the Minister of the Interior.
Ministry of Finance
(German: Finanzbehörde)
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
(German: Behörde für Wirtschaft und Arbeit)
Ministry of City Development and Environment
(German: Behörde für Stadtentwicklung und Umwelt)
Ministry of Justice
The ministry (German: Justizbehörde) is charge of the correctional facilities, the courts and the revision of the laws. In 2008, Till Steffen (GAL) is the Minister of Justice of Hamburg.
Ministry of Social Affairs, Family Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection
(German: Behörde für Soziales, Familie, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz)
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Media
On May 7, 2008 the former Ministry of Culture was changed to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Media (German: Behörde für Kultur, Sport und Medien), now among other responsible for tourism, the public record office of Hamburg, the office of the protection of historical monuments and the memorial site for the Neuengamme concentration camp
. In 2005 the annual budget
was €212.7 million. In 2008, Prof. Dr. Karin von Welck
was the head of the ministry.
Since law enforcement and police duties are partly in the responsibility of the German states, Hamburg has its own police force
. This forces consists of the state police
Polizei Hamburg, the State Criminal Police Office (German: Landeskriminalamt
), the Criminal Investigation Services (Kriminalpolizei
), the Water Police (Wasserschutzpolizei
) controlling traffic in the port of Hamburg, the Stand-by Police (Bereitschaftspolizei
), the Special Weapons and Tactics Unit (Spezialeinsatzkommando
) and Mobile Surveillance Units (Mobiles Einsatzkommando). The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Landesamt für den Verfassungsschutz) is Hamburg's domestic intelligence agency
. The Ministry of the Interior has the legal and technical oversight for the law enforcement agencies.
, the Social Democratic Party
, Alliance '90/The Greens
, The Left
and as of 2008 not in the state parliament the Free Democratic Party
.
The STATT party
is a minor political party
, which was founded in 1993. The party was elected to the Hamburg Parliament
in the Hamburg state election, 1993. The governing SPD and the new STATT party formed a coalition to rule until 1997, when the party lost all seats.
A defunct party is Law and Order Offensive Party
(Partei Rechtsstaatlicher Offensive - Offensive D). The party was in the Hamburg Parliament from 2001 until 2004, receiving 19.4% of votes.
.
The Golden Book consists of the signatures of especially honoured guests of Hamburg. The book itself is a box with not fixed sheets. It is folded in golden leather and a gift of the family of the First Mayor Carl Friedrich Petersen (1809 – 1892). In 1937 the German leader Adolf Hitler
signed the book before giving a public speech in Hamburg. During the denazification
Hitler's sheet, as these from other Nazis, was removed from the book. The only signature remained is from Joseph Goebbels
, because he wrote on the same sheet as the former German President Paul von Hindenburg
. The Dalai Lama signed the Golden Book during his 5th visit in Hamburg in February 2007.
Decorations
Hamburg citizens were not allowed to receive decorations — only medals or medallions
. This act was first enlawed for members of the senate and Hamburg's judges, later the act was false legally extended for all citizens by the Senate of Hamburg. The act originated from the Hamburg city law of the 13th century. One of the few Hanseaten – citizens of a Hanseatic city – who received decoration was Alwin Münchmeyer, an entrepreneur. Münchmeyer stated later, that this were his "falls of mankind". Even Helmut Schmidt
— former Hamburg Senator of the Interior and German chancellor — declined several times to be awarded with the Federal Cross of Merit
, stating he had been a Hamburg senator and according to the Hanseatic tradition not allowed to wear decorations.
In 1843 the Hamburg fire medal was awarded to the volunteers, who came to help during the great fire from 5 May until 8 May 1842. In total 4858 medals were awarded from the grateful Hamburg in distress to its friends, as the inscription states "Das Dankbare Hamburg Seinen Freunden In Der Noth".
During World War I
(1914 – 1918) the Hanseatic Cross
(German: Hanseatenkreuz) was a decoration of the three Hanseatic Cities
of Bremen
, Hamburg and Lübeck, who were member states of the German Empire
. Each city-state established its own version of the cross, but the design and award criteria were similar for each. There were approximately 50,000 awards of the Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg.
Medallions
In 2007 the Herbert Weichmann medallion – named for the First Mayor Herbert Weichmann
(in office 1965 – 1971) – was granted for the first time by the city of Hamburg, honoring "those - both Jewish and non-Jewish - who have contributed to Jewish life in Germany". First recipients were Paul Spiegel
(posthumous), who was a member of the executive committee of the Zentralrat der Juden
, and Hinrich Reemtsma, whose foundation constributed €500,000 for the removal of the Jewish community centre in Hamburg.
Executive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
, legislative
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
and judicial
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
branches. Due to the characteristic that Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
is a city-state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
and a municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in Germany
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...
, the governance deals several details of state politics and community politics. It takes place in two ranks; a city-wide and state administration (Senate of Hamburg), and a local rank for the boroughs. Head for city-wide and state administration is the First Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
(Erster Bürgermeister). A ministry is called Behörde (office) and a state minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
is a Senator in Hamburg. The legislature is the state parliament, called Hamburgische Bürgerschaft
Hamburg Parliament
The Hamburg Parliament is the unicameral legislature of the German state of Hamburg according to the constitution of Hamburg. As of 2011 there were 121 members in the parliament, representing a relatively equal amount of constituencies...
, and the judicial branch is composed of the state supreme court and other courts. The seat of the government is Hamburg Rathaus
Hamburg Rathaus
The Hamburg Rathaus is the Rathaus—the city hall or town hall—of Hamburg, Germany, it is the seat of the government of Hamburg, located in the Altstadt quarter in the city centre, near the lake Binnenalster and the central station...
.
The local rank is organised in the 7 boroughs of Hamburg
Boroughs and quarters of Hamburg
The city of Hamburg in Germany is made up of 7 boroughs and subdivided into 105 quarters . Most of the quarters were former independent settlements...
.
Political system
The bases of the political system are the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of GermanyBasic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany
The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany is the constitution of Germany. It was formally approved on 8 May 1949, and, with the signature of the Allies of World War II on 12 May, came into effect on 23 May, as the constitution of those states of West Germany that were initially included...
and the Constitution of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg
Constitution of Hamburg
The Constitution of the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg is the basic governing document of the German city-state of Hamburg. It was approved on 6 June 1952...
.
The Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg is its own state in the Federal Republic of Germany. Hamburg is a republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
, democratic welfare state
Welfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
and a constitutional state
Rechtsstaat
Rechtsstaat is a concept in continental European legal thinking, originally borrowed from German jurisprudence, which can be translated as "legal state", "state of law", "state of justice", or "state of rights"...
. At the same time Hamburg is a municipality, there is no separation between these two administrative tasks. The power to create a law is restricted by federal law.
There is a clear separation of powers
Separation of powers
The separation of powers, often imprecisely used interchangeably with the trias politica principle, is a model for the governance of a state. The model was first developed in ancient Greece and came into widespread use by the Roman Republic as part of the unmodified Constitution of the Roman Republic...
.
Legislature
The power to create, amend and ratify laws (legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
) is given to the parliament. A plebiscite and a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
is possible due to the Constitution of Hamburg. In other German states the parliament is called Landtag.
The parliament is among other things responsible for the law, the election of the Erster Bürgermeister (First Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
) for the election period and the control of the Senate (cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
). The parliament is a unicameral parliament and the 121 deputies are elected in universal, direct, free, equal and secret elections every four years.
Executive
Executive (government)
Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...
is the Senat der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg (Senate of Hamburg / cabinet). Its purpose is to enforce the laws. The senate is responsible for the day-to-day management and head of this branch is the First Mayor. The senate represents Hamburg to the federal government and other states or countries.
The Senat der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg is formed by the First Mayor of Hamburg, the Minister President and mayor of Hamburg. His deputy is the Second Mayor. The senate is permitted no more than 12 members by law. This law also regulates among other, the remuneration, pension, privilege to refuse to give evidence and the legal position of Hamburg judges. The senators get appointed by the First Mayor and thereafter they need to get elected by Hamburg Parliament. The First Mayor forms the ministries, according to the coalition agreement of the ruling parties.
History
Until 1860 the government of Hamburg was called Rath or Rat (board/council), the members had been Ratsherrn (aldermen) and Bürgermeister (BurgomasterBurgomaster
Burgomaster is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chief magistrate or chairman of the executive council of a sub-national level of administration...
). After a change of the Constitution of Hamburg in 1861 the government was called Hamburger Senat.
Prior to the first world war
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the two mayors were elected for one-year-terms. Until 1997 the First Mayor was Primus inter pares
Primus inter pares
Primus inter pares is Latin phrase describing the most senior person of a group sharing the same rank or office.When not used in reference to a specific title, it may indicate that the person so described is formally equal, but looked upon as an authority of special importance by their peers...
among his colleagues in the Senate, by whom he was elected. Since then, he has been elected by the parliament and been able appoint and to dismiss other Senators.
Judiciary
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
) is task of the Hamburgisches Verfassungsgericht (Constitutional Court of Hamburg) and 17 more courts of Hamburg.
The supreme court consists of a president of the court and 8 judges. The president and 3 judges are have to be life time judges in Hamburg. The Diet of Hamburg elect the judges for 6 years and they only can once get reelected. The schedule of responsibilities are based on the constitution of Hamburg (Art. 65) and the Gesetzes über das Hamburgische Verfassungsgericht (Law of the Constitutional Court of Hamburg) (§ 14).
The professional judges of the other courts are appointed by the senate according to a nomination of a committee.
Ministries
In 2011, there are nine senators holding ministerial positions and the head of state, the First mayor. A senator is the presiding minister for a Behörde (translated: 'government agency' meaning here is more ministryMinistry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
).
State Chancellery
The State Chancellery (German: Senatskanzlei) coordinate the senate and support the mayor. The First Mayor is head in this government agency. In 2011, the First Mayor of Hamburg is Olaf Scholz
Olaf Scholz
Olaf Scholz is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany and Mayor of Hamburg since 7 March 2011.From May to October 2001 he was Minister of the Interior of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and from 2002 to 2004 he was general secretary of the SPD...
.
Ministry of Schools and Vocational Training
The ministry (German: Behörde für Schule und Berufsbildung) is responsible for the school system in Hamburg.
Ministry of Science and Research
(German: Behörde für Wissenschaft und Forschung)
Ministry of the Interior
Among others the Behörde für Inneres is the oversight authority for the law enforcement agencies in Hamburg, the fire brigade, for disaster control and its units, the residents registration offices, the State Election Office and the Scientology Task Force
Scientology Task Force of the Hamburg Interior Authority
The Scientology Task Force for the Hamburg Interior Authority was founded in 1992 to monitor the activities and publications of Scientology, raise public awareness about the organization, and serve as a resource to Scientology members who may wish to exit the group...
(Arbeitsgruppe Scientology). In 2008, Christoph Ahlhaus (CDU) is the Minister of the Interior.
Ministry of Finance
(German: Finanzbehörde)
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
(German: Behörde für Wirtschaft und Arbeit)
Ministry of City Development and Environment
(German: Behörde für Stadtentwicklung und Umwelt)
Ministry of Justice
The ministry (German: Justizbehörde) is charge of the correctional facilities, the courts and the revision of the laws. In 2008, Till Steffen (GAL) is the Minister of Justice of Hamburg.
Ministry of Social Affairs, Family Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection
(German: Behörde für Soziales, Familie, Gesundheit und Verbraucherschutz)
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Media
On May 7, 2008 the former Ministry of Culture was changed to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Media (German: Behörde für Kultur, Sport und Medien), now among other responsible for tourism, the public record office of Hamburg, the office of the protection of historical monuments and the memorial site for the Neuengamme concentration camp
Neuengamme
The Neuengamme concentration camp, a Nazi concentration camp, was established in 1938 by the SS near the village of Neuengamme in Bergedorf district within the City of Hamburg, Germany. It was in operation from 1938 to 1945. By the end of the war, more than half of its estimated 106,000 prisoners...
. In 2005 the annual budget
Budget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
was €212.7 million. In 2008, Prof. Dr. Karin von Welck
Karin von Welck
Karin von Welck been Cultural Senator of the city state of Hamburg since 2004. Welck is party-independent.- Works :...
was the head of the ministry.
Law enforcement
Since law enforcement and police duties are partly in the responsibility of the German states, Hamburg has its own police force
Hamburg Police
The Hamburg Police is the German Landespolizei force for the city-state of Hamburg. Law enforcement in Germany is divided between federal and state agencies...
. This forces consists of the state police
Landespolizei
thumb|[[Germany|German]] police officer in [[Hamburg]]The Landespolizei are the main police forces of Germany. They are under the sole jurisdiction, funded and operated by the states of Germany.-History:...
Polizei Hamburg, the State Criminal Police Office (German: Landeskriminalamt
Landeskriminalamt
Landeskriminalamt - is the German term for a State Investigation Bureau in Germany. LKAs are part of the state police which, in turn, is directly subordinate to the respective state ministry of the interior.-Investigations:...
), the Criminal Investigation Services (Kriminalpolizei
Kriminalpolizei
is the standard term for the criminal investigation agency within the police forces of Germany, Austria and the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland. In Nazi Germany during 1936, the Kripo became the Criminal Police Department for the entire Reich...
), the Water Police (Wasserschutzpolizei
Wasserschutzpolizei
The Wasserschutzpolizei is the water police that patrols the waterways, lakes and harbours of Germany around the clock. The WSP are part of the Landespolizei ....
) controlling traffic in the port of Hamburg, the Stand-by Police (Bereitschaftspolizei
Bereitschaftspolizei
The Bereitschaftspolizei are the support and rapid reaction units of Germany's police forces...
), the Special Weapons and Tactics Unit (Spezialeinsatzkommando
Spezialeinsatzkommando
Spezialeinsatzkommandos are the special response units of the German state police forces. German SEKs are full-time units whose members do not perform any other duties, and are essentially the equivalent of American SWAT Teams...
) and Mobile Surveillance Units (Mobiles Einsatzkommando). The State Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Landesamt für den Verfassungsschutz) is Hamburg's domestic intelligence agency
Intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a governmental agency that is devoted to information gathering for purposes of national security and defence. Means of information gathering may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public...
. The Ministry of the Interior has the legal and technical oversight for the law enforcement agencies.
Elections
Elections for the state parliament of Hamburg are held every four years, combined with the elections of the diet of the boroughs (Bezirksversammlungen). The elections are regulated by law.Political parties
Main political parties in Hamburg are the Christian Democratic UnionChristian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
, the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party of Germany
The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...
, Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens
Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir...
, The Left
The Left (Germany)
The Left , also commonly referred to as the Left Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The Left is the most left-wing party of the five represented in the Bundestag....
and as of 2008 not in the state parliament the Free Democratic Party
Free Democratic Party (Germany)
The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
.
| Name (English) | Name (German) | Abbr. | Ideology | Position | International organizations | Votes (2008) | Seats in Hamburgische Bürgerschaft | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Democratic Union Christian Democratic Union (Germany) The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum... |
Christlich Demokratische Union | CDU | Christian democracy Christian Democracy Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching... |
centre-right Centre-right The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist... |
Centrist Democrat International Centrist Democrat International The Centrist Democrat International was until 2001 the Christian Democrat International and before that the Christian Democrat and People's Parties International... and International Democrat Union International Democrat Union The International Democrat Union, abbreviated to IDU, is a centre-right international alliance of conservative and liberal-conservative political parties. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, the IDU comprises 45 full or associate members... |
42.6% | 56 | |
| Social Democratic Party Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany... |
Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands | SPD | Social democracy Social democracy Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism... |
centre-left Centre-left Centre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum... |
Socialist International Socialist International The Socialist International is a worldwide organization of democratic socialist, social democratic and labour political parties. It was formed in 1951.- History :... |
34.1% | 45 | |
| Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens Alliance '90/The Greens is a green political party in Germany, formed from the merger of the German Green Party and Alliance 90 in 1993. Its leaders are Claudia Roth and Cem Özdemir... |
Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen (GAL) | Green Politics Green politics Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy... |
centre-left Centre-left Centre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum... |
Global Greens Global Greens The Global Greens is a global network of Green parties and political movements. It was founded in 2001 in Canberra, Australia at the First Global Greens Congress, where the Global Green Charter was approved. The Second Global Greens Congress was held in 2008 in Sao Paolo, Brazil... |
9.6% | 12 | merger of Die Grünen and Bündnis 90 | |
| The Left The Left (Germany) The Left , also commonly referred to as the Left Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The Left is the most left-wing party of the five represented in the Bundestag.... |
DIE LINKE | Socialism Socialism Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,... Eurocommunism Eurocommunism Eurocommunism was a trend in the 1970s and 1980s within various Western European communist parties to develop a theory and practice of social transformation that was more relevant in a Western European democracy and less aligned to the influence or control of the Communist Party of the Soviet... |
left-wing Left-wing politics In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society... |
Party of the European Left Party of the European Left The Party of the European Left, commonly abbreviated to just the European Left, is a political party at European level and an association of democratic socialist and communist political parties in the European Union and other European countries. It was formed in January 2004 for the purposes of... |
6.4% | 8 | merger of the The Left Party.PDS and WASG | |
| Free Democratic Party Free Democratic Party (Germany) The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government... |
Freie Demokratische Partei | FDP | Liberalism Liberalism Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,... |
centre Centrism In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between... |
Liberal International Liberal International Liberal International is a political international federation for liberal parties. Its headquarters is located at 1 Whitehall Place, London, SW1A 2HD within the National Liberal Club. It was founded in Oxford in 1947, and has become the pre-eminent network for liberal parties and for the... |
4.8% | none | |
The STATT party
Statt party (Germany)
The statt party is a minor political party in Germany.Founded in 1993 in Hamburg, the party won 5.6% in the Hamburg state election and formed a coalition with the Social Democratic Party of Germany. In 1997 the party lost all seats.- External links :...
is a minor political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
, which was founded in 1993. The party was elected to the Hamburg Parliament
Hamburg Parliament
The Hamburg Parliament is the unicameral legislature of the German state of Hamburg according to the constitution of Hamburg. As of 2011 there were 121 members in the parliament, representing a relatively equal amount of constituencies...
in the Hamburg state election, 1993. The governing SPD and the new STATT party formed a coalition to rule until 1997, when the party lost all seats.
A defunct party is Law and Order Offensive Party
Law and Order Offensive Party
The Law and Order Offensive Party , short form Offensive D was a minor political party in Germany. It was founded in July 2000 by Hamburg judge Ronald Schill. It wished to call itself PRO but was forbidden from doing so after a judicial complaint by the Pro Deutsche Mitte party...
(Partei Rechtsstaatlicher Offensive - Offensive D). The party was in the Hamburg Parliament from 2001 until 2004, receiving 19.4% of votes.
Honours and awards
The highest honour given by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg is the honorary citizenship (Ehrenbürgerrecht). It is given by the senate, if the parliament confirmed the motion of the senate. The honorary citizenship is comparable to the honour Freedom of the CityFreedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
.
The Golden Book consists of the signatures of especially honoured guests of Hamburg. The book itself is a box with not fixed sheets. It is folded in golden leather and a gift of the family of the First Mayor Carl Friedrich Petersen (1809 – 1892). In 1937 the German leader Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
signed the book before giving a public speech in Hamburg. During the denazification
Denazification
Denazification was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of any remnants of the National Socialist ideology. It was carried out specifically by removing those involved from positions of influence and by disbanding or rendering...
Hitler's sheet, as these from other Nazis, was removed from the book. The only signature remained is from Joseph Goebbels
Joseph Goebbels
Paul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
, because he wrote on the same sheet as the former German President Paul von Hindenburg
Paul von Hindenburg
Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg , known universally as Paul von Hindenburg was a Prussian-German field marshal, statesman, and politician, and served as the second President of Germany from 1925 to 1934....
. The Dalai Lama signed the Golden Book during his 5th visit in Hamburg in February 2007.
Hamburg citizens were not allowed to receive decorations — only medals or medallions
Medal
A medal, or medallion, is generally a circular object that has been sculpted, molded, cast, struck, stamped, or some way rendered with an insignia, portrait, or other artistic rendering. A medal may be awarded to a person or organization as a form of recognition for athletic, military, scientific,...
. This act was first enlawed for members of the senate and Hamburg's judges, later the act was false legally extended for all citizens by the Senate of Hamburg. The act originated from the Hamburg city law of the 13th century. One of the few Hanseaten – citizens of a Hanseatic city – who received decoration was Alwin Münchmeyer, an entrepreneur. Münchmeyer stated later, that this were his "falls of mankind". Even Helmut Schmidt
Helmut Schmidt
Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt is a German Social Democratic politician who served as Chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. Prior to becoming chancellor, he had served as Minister of Defence and Minister of Finance. He had also served briefly as Minister of Economics and as acting...
— former Hamburg Senator of the Interior and German chancellor — declined several times to be awarded with the Federal Cross of Merit
Bundesverdienstkreuz
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
, stating he had been a Hamburg senator and according to the Hanseatic tradition not allowed to wear decorations.
In 1843 the Hamburg fire medal was awarded to the volunteers, who came to help during the great fire from 5 May until 8 May 1842. In total 4858 medals were awarded from the grateful Hamburg in distress to its friends, as the inscription states "Das Dankbare Hamburg Seinen Freunden In Der Noth".
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
(1914 – 1918) the Hanseatic Cross
Hanseatic Cross
The Hanseatic Cross was a decoration of the three Hanseatic Cities of Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck, who were member states of the German Empire during World War I...
(German: Hanseatenkreuz) was a decoration of the three Hanseatic Cities
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
of Bremen
Bremen (state)
The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen is the smallest of Germany's 16 states. A more informal name, but used in some official contexts, is Land Bremen .-Geography:...
, Hamburg and Lübeck, who were member states of the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
. Each city-state established its own version of the cross, but the design and award criteria were similar for each. There were approximately 50,000 awards of the Hanseatic Cross of Hamburg.
Medallions
In 2007 the Herbert Weichmann medallion – named for the First Mayor Herbert Weichmann
Herbert Weichmann
Herbert Weichmann was a German lawyer and politician and First Mayor of Hamburg . In his position as mayor of Hamburg, he served as President of the Bundesrat .-Life:Weichmann was born in Landsberg, Upper Silesia, then part of the German Reich, to a Jewish family of physicians...
(in office 1965 – 1971) – was granted for the first time by the city of Hamburg, honoring "those - both Jewish and non-Jewish - who have contributed to Jewish life in Germany". First recipients were Paul Spiegel
Paul Spiegel
Paul Spiegel was leader of the Zentralrat der Juden in Germany and the main spokesman of the German Jews...
(posthumous), who was a member of the executive committee of the Zentralrat der Juden
Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland
The Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland is a federation of German Jews organizing many Jewish organisations in Germany. It was founded on July 19, 1950, as a response to the increasing isolation of German Jews by the international Jewish community and increasing interest in Jewish affairs by the ...
, and Hinrich Reemtsma, whose foundation constributed €500,000 for the removal of the Jewish community centre in Hamburg.
External links
- http://www.hamburgische-buergerschaft.de/cms_en.php?templ=home_sta.tpl&sub1=187&cont=332 Official website of the Parliament of Hamburg
- http://www.hamburg.de/stadt-staat/senat/ Senate of Hamburg
- http://www.hamburg.de/buergerschaft/ Parliament of Hamburg on www.hamburg.de
- http://www.polizei.hamburg.de Hamburg's police force official website
- http://www.hamburg.de/ag-scientology/ Scientology Task Force official website