Jens Weidmann did not necessarily use the decade as President of the Deutsche Bundesbank to exuberantly emphasize Frankfurt's advantages as a banking location.
After his departure, he will not be remembered primarily as the voice of the financial center.
But as a vehement advocate of a stability-oriented monetary policy, Weidmann has rendered outstanding services in another role to the financial center on the Main as the most important location for this sector in the euro area.
The fact that Weidmann often fought hard against resistance in the Central Bank Council of the European Central Bank, which is only a few kilometers away, but also in political Berlin, is highly appreciated by representatives of the financial industry, which is so important for Frankfurt - and at the same time it stirs up concerns that Weidmann's successors will be less rigid for example, could rebel against the ultra-loose monetary policy of the ECB.
Open under Weidmann's guidance
In his professional home in Frankfurt, Weidmann has always appeared as a charming, competent and at the same time clear warning, but not as a loudspeaker. Nevertheless, he knew how to pull the strings. Frankfurt has also benefited from this: be it when Weidmann pointed out the importance of Deutsche Börse for the financial center in discussions about possible mergers, or if the Bundesbank closely accompanied financial houses that were relocating units to Frankfurt because of the Brexit or are still planning to do so.
In addition, the Bundesbank, which many consider to be a myth but also extremely closed, has opened up under Weidmann's leadership.
The institution, which currently employs a large part of its 10,400 employees at its headquarters on the Main, has presented itself increasingly more transparently and approachable in recent years, not only through the money museum, but also in communication and through the open days.
In this respect, Weidmann's withdrawal from the top of the Bundesbank, which is so deeply rooted in Frankfurt, should not only be seen as a loss for the authority itself.
But no less for the Frankfurt financial center.