Municipal honors

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

The awarding ofhonorary citizenship is one way in which the municipality can pay tribute within the framework of 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 award honorary citizenship to a deceased person.

The awarding of anhonorary title to municipal representatives, honorary civil servants, full-time electoral 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 conferral of honorary citizenship or an honorary title has no closer legal significance; it is not associated with special rights and obligations or even privileges.

The awarding of honorary citizenship or an honorary title is decided exclusively by the municipal council with a simple majority (§ 51 No. 3 HGO).

The municipality can determinefurther possibilities for event-related honors in a statute and, for example, award specially made medals, pins, coat of arms plates or honorary rings. The statutes can also regulate the procedure for awarding honors (for example, proposals for honorees must be submitted in writing to the municipal council / municipal assembly).

In addition, procedures for the awarding of state honors and medals can be initiated by the municipality. These include, among others: Letter of Honor 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.