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125 years of the Cologne Tenants' Association - Lord Mayor Reker hosted a reception at City Hall
In January 1900, the founding of the tenants' association for Cologne was decided in the brewery “Em dicke Tommes” at Glockengasse 39. A few days later, on 9 February 1900, the ‘Tenants’ Association for Cologne and Suburbs’ was officially founded at a larger meeting, at which a constitution was adopted and a board elected. The ‘Em dicke Tommes’ pub no longer exists, the building was destroyed in the Second World War. However, the Cologne Tenants‘ Association had around 70,000 members at the end of 2024 and is now the third-largest tenants’ association in Germany.
To mark the 125th anniversary, Cologne's Lord Mayor Henriette Reker hosted a reception in the historic town hall, where Chairman of the Board Franz-Xaver Corneth signed the City of Cologne's guest book as part of the ceremony. The Lord Mayor thanked the association for its tireless commitment to the interests of tenants. In her congratulations, she emphasised that 125 years ago, affordable housing and tenants' rights were already part of Cologne's social issues.
Corneth presented her with the ‘Tenants’ Dictionary’ to mark the anniversary and emphasised that the situation on the housing market, particularly in metropolitan areas, is still one of the major social issues. He also recalled that the Cologne Tenants' Association was involved in drawing up the first rent index in Germany in 1974. He believes that everyone involved has a duty to tackle the current housing shortage - not only politicians and administrators, but also the building materials industry. ‘Everyone has to think about how to build more favourably and use cheaper building materials,’ said Corneth. ‘I don't know why it's possible to build for 2,500 euros per square metre in Holland and 6,000 euros per square metre in Germany.’