Municipal honours

  • Performance specification

    Individuals who have rendered outstanding services to a municipality can be honoured with this award. The achievements to be honoured can be very different; for example, they can be economic, local political or artistic merits.


    The awarding of honorary citizenship is one way in which the municipality can honour a person under the Hessian Municipal Code (HGO) (Section 28 (1) HGO). As honorary citizenship is a personal right, it can only be awarded to natural persons. It is not possible to confer honorary citizenship on a deceased person.


    The awarding of an honorary title to municipal representatives, honorary civil servants, full-time elected officials, members of a local advisory council or foreigners' advisory council is another example of an award at municipal level (Section 28 (2) HGO). The mandate or office must have been held for a total of at least 20 years. The law does not specify what is meant by honorary designations. For example, "honorary mayor" or "municipal elder" are possible designations.


    The award of honorary citizenship or an honorary title has no close legal significance; special rights and duties or even privileges are not associated with it.

    The conferment of honorary citizenship or an honorary title shall be decided exclusively by the municipal council by simple majority (§ 51 No. 3 HGO).


    The municipality can define further options for event-related honours in its bylaws and, for example, award specially made medals, pins, coat of arms plates or rings of honour. The statutes can also regulate the procedure for honouring (for example, proposals for those to be honoured must be submitted in writing to the municipal council / municipal assembly).

    In addition, procedures for the awarding of state honours and decorations can be initiated by the municipality. These include, among others: Letter of Honour of the State of Hesse, Hessian Order of Merit, Freiherr-vom-Stein Plaque of the State of Hesse, Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.


Responsible departments