Fionn Berger from Hanau is only a few days old, but he already has a special meaning for the city.

The boy born on September 9th in Hanau's Vinzenz Hospital, whose parents live in the Steinheim district, is the 100,000.

Resident of Hanau.

With this, Hanau crosses the border that turns a city into a big city.

Mayor Claus Kaminsky (SPD) brought the happy news to the guests of his inauguration ceremony on Monday: Hanau is no longer Hesse's largest small town, but from now on Hesse's smallest city.

Luise Glaser-Lotz

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for the Main-Kinzig district.

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This title is not yet official as it is based on figures from the municipal area data center.

But soon, no later than the end of the year, Hanau will exceed the 100,000 inhabitant limit, also according to the calculations of the relevant state statistical office.

Its figures are based on the census surveys.

According to this, exactly 97,137 people lived in Hanau on December 31, 2020, a number that has now been overtaken by actual developments.

In contrast to the State Statistical Office, the municipal area data center records the daily changes due to immigration and emigration as well as birth and death, according to the town hall.

That's why the city decided to refer to these numbers.

Courage to change

The new status has not fallen into the city's lap, it is due to the courage to change and the will to shape there, says Kaminsky.

The decision to redesign the city and cope with the conversion tasks were groundbreaking.

They created the basis for the growth that brought the desired step to the big city.

Kaminsky set the city's criteria for exceeding the 100,000-inhabitant limit last year.

Since it would be difficult to pinpoint a single person responsible for reaching the limit, all newborns for that day should be 100,000.

Resident or 100,000.

Residents are appointed.

But Fionn was the only child born in Hanau on September 9th.

That is why, according to Kaminsky, the little boy is the only one who can boast that he has made his hometown a big city.

Kaminsky had a city welcome package for his father in his luggage on Monday.

There are several changes associated with the metropolitan status.

One is the need to set up a professional fire brigade.

The organizational prerequisites for this were created last year.

The Hanau fire protection officers then achieved the status of professional fire brigade in January.

The official founding act took place last Saturday.

According to Kaminsky, the importance for the business location is more important.

In future, Hanau will become much more visible in supraregional monitoring and thus even more attractive for companies willing to settle.

For the retail sector, it means that some of the particularly popular chain stores only invest in municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants.

Two years ago, the city commissioned the company erdmann & erdmann medien GmbH from the Hanau filmmaker Kolja Erdmann to make an advertising film in order to boost the company's image and attract new businesses.

The strip was presented to the public for the first time at the inauguration of the mayor.

The new self-confidence of Hanau

As if she were a person, the city presents itself under the motto “I am Hanau” for two minutes in turbulent scenes as an ambitious and at the same time caring city. Hanau is a city that stands together even in difficult hours, is a central message View of the attack on February 19, 2020. Kaminsky said the film expresses Hanau's new self-confidence. It can be viewed on the website

www.hessenskleinstegroßstadt.de

.

A major change in the near future will be Hanau's move to freedom of the district and thus the separation from the Main-Kinzig district, to which Hanau belongs as a special status city.

The district freedom is not compulsory for a large city.

The decisive factor is that the city can fulfill the associated tasks in every respect.

As a city with a special status, Hanau has long been responsible for a number of tasks that are otherwise located in the district, including the school sponsorship and the sponsorship of the Hanau Clinic.

In addition, the approval office was transferred from the district to the city on January 1, 2021.