The main character that morning in May of this year should actually have been Hannes Pflügner.

Pflügner studied history and has been working as a city guide in Frankfurt for twelve years.

There are only a few who can speak so knowledgeably and vividly about the revolution of 1848 and the Paulskirchen Parliament - and not just anywhere, but at the authentic places of historical events.

Accordingly, the municipal tourism company TCF summoned the experienced tour guide on that day in May to give the press an example of the tours that are to lead to the 175th anniversary of the Paulskirchen Assembly in 2023.

Matthew Trautsch

Coordination report Rhein-Main.

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Alone: ​​Pflugner practically does not get a chance to speak.

Instead of him, Lord Mayor Peter Feldmann leads the press troop from the Stoltze monument in the old town via Braubachstraße to the Paulskirche.

The media representatives hear the text modules that they know from so many speeches by the mayor: that Frankfurt has been a cosmopolitan trading metropolis for centuries, that free speech is valued here and immigrants enriched the city.

The tour guide stands next to it as ordered and not picked up.

The press release that follows shortly thereafter bears the title "Mayor Feldmann: 'Paulskirchen anniversary becomes a celebration of democracy'".

For several paragraphs, Feldmann allows himself to be quoted with phrases that are as euphonious as they are local patriotism and banal.

Pflugner only appears as staffage on an attached photo,

Revelation of the political character

Why is the anecdote reported in such detail?

Because it anticipates on a small scale what becomes visible a few weeks later at Eintracht's European Cup reception on the big stage: that Feldmann claims everything for himself, whether it's a football cup or a Paulskirchen anniversary.

He is incapable of stepping into the background and letting others do their job.

The SPD politician's handling of the Paulskirchen issue shows his political character - both in the strengths and in those serious weaknesses that have led to the break with large parts of the city's politics and society and on November 6th possibly to the deselection the citizens join.

But first to the strengths.

Feldmann has a feel for topics.

Not necessarily earlier, but more consistently and with more publicity than most other Frankfurt politicians, he positioned issues such as affordable housing, cheap local transport or the renovation of school buildings where they belong: at the center of the debate.

A disregard for Parliament

It was similar with the Paulskirche.

The 175th anniversary of the first German National Assembly still seemed a long way off when Feldmann made proposals in Berlin to present the Paulskirche as a unique place in the history of democracy.

The SPD politician's interest is sincere: anyone who talks to him about the history of Frankfurt and the region will find someone who is genuinely passionate about the subject.

He is also looking to the future: with the "House of Democracy" an institution is to be created at the Paulskirche that will shine well beyond the anniversary.

Frankfurt has the chance to become the "Davos of democracy", as one of his advisors puts it.

But that requires more than a mayor.

If they really want to achieve something, they have to involve others.

He has to use the resources that lie in the departments and the city council, even at the price that now and then others are in the limelight.

If Feldmann had asked the experts in administration and politics, he might have noticed earlier how absurd his initially preferred idea of ​​a “historical” reconstruction of the Paulskirche was.

But the SPD politician doesn't even care about parliamentary resolutions: Although the city councilors had already decided on principles for the "House of Democracy" in a cross-party initiative - including their own SPD - he had a different concept drawn up.

A disregard for Parliament,

At the beginning of July, Feldmann, struck by the "cup theft", the threatening AWO process and a sexist saying about flight attendants, offered his resignation - not without listing his successes on the occasion.

This also included the fact that he "made the renovation of the Paulskirche and the 'House of Democracy' a topic".

"I honestly have to admit: It hurts my soul not to be able to be part of the anniversary next year as mayor." A lot has happened in the meantime, among other things, Feldmann no longer wants to know about a voluntary resignation.

So it cannot be ruled out that he will represent the city in May 2023 at the event of national importance, to which the Federal President, among others, wants to attend.

A thought that many who care about the Paulskirche