List of mayors of Berlin facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and also a special kind of state, called a city-state. The person in charge of Berlin's government is like a mayor, but their title has changed over the years. This article lists the important leaders who have guided Berlin through different times in history. These leaders are a key part of Berlin's government, known as the senate of Berlin.

Leaders of Berlin
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Leaders of Berlin

Berlin Under French Rule (1806–1809)

In 1806, during the time of the French Empire, French forces took control of Berlin. They gathered about 2,000 wealthy citizens in St. Peter's Church to choose a "Grand Council." This council then picked a smaller "Administrative Committee" of seven people. This committee was the temporary city government. Their main job was to follow the orders of the French, especially to collect money from the citizens to pay for the war. The leader of this committee was a Prussian publisher based in Berlin.

Portrait		Name (Born–Died)	Time in Office			Political Party
Portrait		Name (Born–Died)	Started	Ended	Days	Political Party
1		François Théodore de Lagarde (1756–1824)	October 27, 1806	July 6, 1809	983	Unknown

Lord Mayors of Royal Berlin (1809–1920)

After the French left, Berlin became the capital of the Kingdom of Prussia. The city's main leader was called the Lord Mayor. This period saw many changes in Germany, including the creation of the German Empire in 1871. Berlin remained a very important city throughout these times.

Political party: Independent SPD

Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Time in Office			Political Party
Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Started	Ended	Days	Political Party
Kingdom of Prussia (until 1867)
Berlin was the capital city of the Kingdom of Prussia.
1	Leopold von Gerlach (1757–1813)	July 6, 1809	June 8, 1813	1433	Non-partisan
2	Johann Gottfried Büsching (1761–1833)	February 1814	March 1832	6603	Non-partisan
3	Friedrich von Bärensprung (1779–1841)	March 1832	October 6, 1834	949	Non-partisan
4	Wilhelm Krausnick (1797–1882)	October 6, 1834	March 20, 1848	4914	Non-partisan
–	Franz Christian Naunyn (1799–1860) Acting	March 20, 1848	January 23, 1851	1039	Non-partisan
(4)	Wilhelm Krausnick (1797–1882)	January 23, 1851	December 30, 1862	4359	Non-partisan
5	Karl Theodor Seydel (1812–1873)	January 12, 1863	January 18, 1871	1492	Non-partisan
German Empire (1867–1918)
Berlin was the capital city of the Kingdom of Prussia, which became part of the German Reich in 1871.
(5)	Karl Theodor Seydel (1812–1873)	January 18, 1871	April 1, 1872	439	Non-partisan
6	Arthur Hobrecht (1824–1912)	May 16, 1872	April 1, 1878	2146	National Liberal Party
7	Max von Forckenbeck (1824–1892)	November 21, 1878	May 26, 1892	4935	National Liberal Party
8	Robert Zelle (1829–1901)	September 26, 1892	September 30, 1898	2191	Free-minded People's Party
9	Martin Kirschner (1842–1912)	December 23, 1899	August 31, 1912	4634	Non-partisan
10	Adolf Wermuth (1855–1927)	September 1, 1912	November 9, 1918	2260	Non-partisan

Lord Mayors of Greater Berlin (1918–1935)

After World War I, Germany became the Weimar Republic. Berlin grew into "Greater Berlin," combining many surrounding towns and villages. The city's leader was still called the Lord Mayor. This period was a time of big changes and challenges for Germany.

Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Time in Office			Political Party
Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Started	Ended	Days	Political Party
Weimar Republic (1918–1933)
Berlin was the capital city of the Weimar Republic.
(10)	Adolf Wermuth (1855–1927)	November 9, 1918	October 1, 1920	692	Non-partisan
(10)	Adolf Wermuth (1855–1927)	October 1, 1920	November 30, 1920	60	Non-partisan
11	Gustav Böß (1873–1946)	February 10, 1921	November 7, 1929	3192	German Democratic Party
–	Arthur Scholtz (1871–1935) Acting	November 7, 1929	April 20, 1931	692	German People's Party
12	Heinrich Sahm (1877–1939)	April 20, 1931	January 30, 1933	651	Non-partisan
Nazi Germany (1933–1945)
Berlin was the capital city of the Weimar Republic.
(12)	Heinrich Sahm (1877–1939)	January 30, 1933	January 30, 1935	730	Non-partisan (until 1933) Nazi Party (from 1933)

City President of Berlin (1935–1945)

During the time of Nazi Germany, the government changed how cities were run. The main administrative leader of Berlin was now called the "City President." The title of "Lord Mayor" still existed but became more of a ceremonial role, meaning it was mostly for show and less about actual power.

Political party: NSDAP

Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Time in Office			Political Party
Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Started	Ended	Days	Political Party
Nazi Germany (1933–1945)
Berlin was the capital city of Nazi Germany.
(12)	Heinrich Sahm (1877–1939)	January 30, 1935	December 18, 1935	322	Nazi Party
–	Oskar Maretzky [de] (1881–1945) Acting	December 19, 1935	January 5, 1937	383	Nazi Party (Not party-member)
13	Julius Lippert (1895–1956)	January 5, 1937	July 1, 1940	1273	Nazi Party
14	Ludwig Steeg (1894–1945)	July 1, 1940	May 2, 1945	1766	Nazi Party

Lord Mayors Under Allied Control (1945–1948)

After World War II, Berlin was divided and controlled by four Allied powers: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and the Soviet Union. The city's government was set up again, and the leader was once more called the "Lord Mayor." This was a challenging time as the city recovered from the war and faced new divisions.

Political party: IND SPD CDU

Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Time in Office			Political Party
Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Started	Ended	Days	Political Party
Berlin under quadripartite Allied control (1945–1948)
15	Arthur Werner (1877–1967)	May 17, 1945	December 10, 1946	572	Non-partisan
16	Otto Ostrowski (1883–1963)	December 10, 1946	June 11, 1947	183	Social Democratic Party
–	Louise Schroeder (1887–1957) Acting	June 11, 1947	August 14, 1948	430	Social Democratic Party
–	Ferdinand Friedensburg (1886–1972) Acting for Schroeder	August 14, 1948	December 1, 1948	109	Christian Democratic Union
–	Louise Schroeder (1887–1957) Acting	December 1, 1948	December 7, 1948	6	Social Democratic Party
17	Ernst Reuter (1889–1953) (West Berlin only)	December 7, 1948	February 1, 1951	786	Social Democratic Party

Lord Mayors of East Berlin (1948–1990)

After the Allied occupation, Berlin was formally split into East and West Berlin. East Berlin became the capital of East Germany. The city's leader was called the Lord Mayor. This period lasted until Germany was reunified.

Political party: SED PDS SPD

Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Time in Office			Political Party
Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Started	Ended	Days	Political Party
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	Friedrich Ebert Jr. (1894–1979)	November 30, 1948	October 7, 1949	311	Socialist Unity Party
East Berlin (1948–1990)
East Berlin was the capital city of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany).
(1)	Friedrich Ebert Jr. (1894–1979)	October 7, 1949	July 5, 1967	6480	Socialist Unity Party
2	Herbert Fechner (1913–1998)	July 5, 1967	February 11, 1974	2413	Socialist Unity Party
3	Erhard Krack (1931–2000)	February 11, 1974	February 15, 1990	5848	Socialist Unity Party
–	Ingrid Pankraz (born 1948) Acting	February 15, 1990	February 23, 1990	8	Party of Democratic Socialism
4	Christian Hartenhauer [de] (born 1948)	February 23, 1990	May 30, 1990	96	Party of Democratic Socialism
5	Tino Schwierzina (1927–2003)	May 30, 1990	October 3, 1990	126	Social Democratic Party in the GDR
East Berlin was reunited with West Berlin on October 3, 1990 and dissolved.

Governing Mayors of Berlin (1951–Present)

Governing Mayor of Berlin West Berlin was closely linked to West Germany. Its leader was called the "Governing Mayor." This title continued after Berlin was reunified in 1990, becoming the leader of the entire city-state. The Governing Mayor is the head of the Berlin government today.

Political party: SPD CDU

Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Time in Office			Political Party
Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Started	Ended	Days	Political Party
West Berlin (1948–1990)
West Berlin was part of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany).
1	Ernst Reuter (1889–1953)	February 1, 1951	September 29, 1953	971	Social Democratic Party
2	Walther Schreiber (1884–1958)	September 29, 1953	January 11, 1955	469	Christian Democratic Union
3	Otto Suhr (1894–1957)	January 11, 1955	August 30, 1957 (died in office)	962	Social Democratic Party
4	Willy Brandt (1913–1992)	October 3, 1957	December 1, 1966	3346	Social Democratic Party
5	Heinrich Albertz (1915–1993)	December 1, 1966	October 19, 1967	322	Social Democratic Party
6	Klaus Schütz (1926–2012)	October 19, 1967	May 2, 1977	3483	Social Democratic Party
7	Dietrich Stobbe (1938–2011)	May 2, 1978	January 23, 1981	1362	Social Democratic Party
8	Hans-Jochen Vogel (1926–2020)	January 23, 1981	June 11, 1981	139	Social Democratic Party
9	Richard von Weizsäcker (1920–2015)	June 11, 1981	February 9, 1984	973	Christian Democratic Union
10	Eberhard Diepgen (born 1941)	February 9, 1984	March 16, 1989	1862	Christian Democratic Union
11	Walter Momper (born 1945)	March 16, 1989	January 24, 1991	565	Social Democratic Party
West Berlin was reunited with East Berlin on October 3, 1990 and dissolved.
Reunified Berlin (1990–present)
Berlin is now a city-state and the capital city of the Federal Republic of Germany.
	Walter Momper (born 1945) & Tino Schwierzina (1927–2003)	October 3, 1990	January 24, 1991	113	Social Democratic Party
12 (10)	Eberhard Diepgen (born 1941)	January 24, 1991	June 16, 2001	3796	Christian Democratic Union
13	Klaus Wowereit (born 1953)	June 16, 2001	December 11, 2014	4926	Social Democratic Party
14	Michael Müller (born 1964)	December 11, 2014	December 21, 2021	2567	Social Democratic Party
15	Franziska Giffey (born 1978)	December 21, 2021	April 27, 2023	492	Social Democratic Party
16	Kai Wegner (born 1972)	April 27, 2023	Incumbent	822	Christian Democratic Union