For the 35-year-old Krause, the evening marked his first appearance as mayor at the annual city foundation ceremony. He described Munich, despite its 868 years, as being in the “very best age.” At the same time, in light of exploding costs, he announced that he could not spare citizens from having to save.
Among the guests were honorary citizens such as actress Jutta Speidel, master baker Heinrich Traublinger, and heart surgeon Bruno Reichart. Schäffler dancers also made an appearance in their honor year. Impersonator André Hartmann demonstrated with a sample that, in the event of Krause’s absence, he could have taken over the speech of predecessor Christian Ude (SPD).
One attendee saying goodbye was Ingo Wortmann, head of Munich’s transport company (MVG) until the end of July. He is moving to become head of the municipal utilities in Oberhausen, closer to his family. He described his mood as “sad, because we really enjoyed living here. But also anticipation for what’s to come.”
In his speech, Krause remembered the people in the partner city of Kyiv, who have been living in war for more than four years. He called on guests not to fall into permanent pessimism but to recognize how good life is in Munich.
Source: www.sueddeutsche.de
