Munich mayor rejects proposal for honorary citizens to wear chains of office

Munich's honorary citizens will not be given chains of office to wear, after Mayor Dominik Krause turned down a proposal from a city councillor. The motion was submitted on 29 April 2026 by councillor Michael Dzeba of the CSU with Freie Wähler group on the city council, under the title of visible appreciation for Munich's honorary citizens.

In his reply, the mayor said the city council could not formally vote on the motion. Under the council's rules of procedure, motions from honorary council members may only concern matters the council is responsible for. This motion, he said, concerns an ongoing matter that falls to the mayor under the Bavarian municipal code and the council's rules of procedure, and is a purely protocol matter.

The mayor explained that the city council chains are a sign of office and representation that may only be worn by elected office holders. Because honorary citizens are not elected office holders, the council chains cannot be handed over to them.

The proposal to rework the reserve chains of office was also rejected. According to the mayor, this would run counter to their purpose and make them unusable for their original role, and a noticeable alteration would involve considerable costs. He added that there are not enough reserve chains to meet the proposal.

The mayor also said the chains of office are kept in a safe because of their financial value, so lending them out at short notice for individual festive occasions would not be workable. For these reasons, he said, the proposal could not be implemented, and he considered the matter closed.