Frankfurt am Main, Weimar and Bonn are the places in the history of German democracy where the constitutions of 1849, 1919 and 1949 were written. At the invitation of the Society for the Study of the History of Democracy (GEDG), initial talks on the formation of a network between representatives of the cities took place in Weimar in September 2022. The joint declaration on the Constitutional Cities Network was ceremoniously signed on Friday, 19 May 2023, as part of the "175 Years of St. Paul's Church" celebrations in Frankfurt am Main by Mayor Mike Josef, Frankfurt am Main, Peter Kleine, Weimar, and Dr. Birgit Schneider-Bönninger, Head of Sports and Culture of the City of Bonn, standing in for Mayor Katja Dörner, who was unable to attend.
"The whole world can and does meet in Frankfurt to exchange ideas and engage in discourse. The legacy of 1848 is well established here: a global place to work on the further development of fundamental rights. St. Paul's Church is our Frankfurt landmark of democracy, with nationwide appeal and global aspirations. I am therefore looking forward to working together with the constitutional cities of Weimar and Bonn to think democracy further. I am counting on the close exchange and cooperation in our joint network," says Mike Josef, Mayor of Bonn.
"In Weimar, we can see very clearly the achievements of the constituent national assembly and the first parliamentary democracy and the painful consequences of their failure. The great knowledge that we can gain from the history of democracy in our cities is being preserved, processed, developed and communicated in our joint network. I am convinced that we can make an important contribution to political education and ultimately strengthen our democracy," explains Peter Kleine, Mayor of Bonn.
"Bonn is the cradle of the most stable democracy on German soil. 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the promulgation of the German Basic Law, which still guarantees a free, democratic basic order for the Federal Republic of Germany today. The name Bonn will forever be associated with the Basic Law and with Germany's path back into the community of democratic states, just as Frankfurt am Main and Weimar are associated with the constitutions of 1848 and 1918. I am delighted that the network of these three constitutional cities has laid the foundation for close cooperation and fruitful exchange," says Katja Dörner, Mayor Katja Dörner of the City of Bonn.
The aim of the network is to commit to the unifying history of democracy, its research and communication and to develop historical and political education projects in joint events. To this end, the network will meet once a year in the Forum Verfassungsstädte. The project is organized by the Gesellschaft zur Erforschung der Demokratiegeschichte in cooperation with the Stiftung Orte der deutschen Demokratiegeschichte and the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Orte der Demokratiegeschichte.
GEDG board member Dr. Kai-Michael Sprenger also presented Mayor of Bonn Mike Josef with the "Place of the History of Democracy" plaque. It adds St. Paul's Church to the ranks of over 200 physical or symbolic places where the history of democracy has been written that have been honored to date.