# List of mayors of Cologne

This is a list of mayors of Cologne. It includes the Lord Mayors of Cologne (Oberbürgermeister der Stadt Köln) since 1815 as well as the city managers (Oberstadtdirektoren) from 1946 to 1999.

## Mayors since 1815
### Lord Mayors of Cologne (1815–1945)
#### In Prussia

* 1815–1819: Karl Joseph Freiherr von Mylius
* 1819–1823: von Monschaw
* 1823–1848: Johann Adolf Steinberger
* 1848–1851: Friedrich Wilhelm Gräff
* 1851–1863: Hermann Joseph Stupp
* 1863–1871: Alexander Bachem

#### German Reich

Political party:
| Portrait | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party |
| Portrait | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Days | Political party |
| German Empire (1871–1918) |||||||
| | | Alexander Bachem (1806–1878) | 18 January 1871 | 29 May 1875 | 1592 | Independent |
| | | Hermann Heinrich Becker (1820–1885) | 5 June 1875 | 9 December 1885 | 3840 | German Progress Party |
| | | Friedrich Wilhelm von Becker (1835–1924) | 1 June 1886 | 14 September 1907 | 7774 | Independent |
| | | Max Wallraf (1886–1962) | 1 October 1907 | 8 August 1917 | 3599 | Independent |
| | | Konrad Adenauer (1876–1967) | 18 October 1917 | 9 November 1918 | 387 | Centre Party |
| Weimar Republic (1918–1933) |||||||
| | | Konrad Adenauer (1876–1967) | 9 November 1918 | 30 January 1933 | 5196 | Centre Party |
| Nazi Germany (1933–1945) |||||||
| | | Konrad Adenauer (1876–1967) | 30 January 1933 | 13 March 1933 | 42 | Centre Party |
| | | Günter Riesen (1892–1951) Acting | 13 March 1933 | 8 December 1936 | 1366 | Nazi Party |
| | | Karl Georg Schmidt (1904–1940) | 20 January 1937 | 26 November 1940 | 1406 | Nazi Party |
| | | Peter Winkelnkemper (1902–1944) | 3 January 1941 | 20 June 1944 | 1264 | Nazi Party |
| | | Robert Brandes (1899–1987) Acting | 20 June 1944 | 6 March 1945 | 259 | Nazi Party |

### Lord Mayor of Cologne (1945–present)

Political party:  CDU  SPD
| Portrait | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Political party |
| Portrait | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Took office | Left office | Days | Political party |
| French occupation zone (1945–1949) |||||||
| 1 | | Konrad Adenauer (1876–1967) | 4 May 1945 | 6 October 1945 | 155 | Christian Democratic Union |
| – | | Willi Suth (1881–1956) Acting | 6 October 1945 | 20 November 1945 | 45 | Christian Democratic Union |
| 2 | | Hermann Pünder (1888–1976) | 20 November 1945 | 23 August 1946 | 276 | Christian Democratic Union |
| On 23 August 1946, Cologne became a city of the newly founded state of North Rhine-Westphalia |||||||
| (2) | | Hermann Pünder (1888–1976) | 23 August 1946 | 31 May 1948 | 647 | Christian Democratic Union |
| 3 | | Ernst Schwering (1886–1962) | 1 June 1948 | 15 November 1948 | 167 | Christian Democratic Union |
| 4 | | Robert Görlinger (1888–1954) | 15 November 1948 | 23 May 1949 | 189 | Social Democratic Party |
| Federal Republic of Germany (1949–present) |||||||
| North Rhine-Westphalia became a federal state of the Federal Republic of Germany |||||||
| (4) | | Robert Görlinger (1888–1954) | 23 May 1949 | 9 December 1949 | 200 | Social Democratic Party |
| 5 | | Ernst Schwering (1886–1962) | 9 December 1949 | 23 November 1950 | 349 | Christian Democratic Union |
| 6 | | Robert Görlinger (1888–1954) | 23 November 1950 | 8 November 1951 | 350 | Social Democratic Party |
| 7 | | Ernst Schwering (1886–1962) | 8 November 1951 | 9 November 1956 | 1828 | Christian Democratic Union |
| 8 | | Theo Burauen (1906–1987) | 9 November 1956 | 17 December 1973 | 6247 | Social Democratic Party |
| 9 | | John van Nes Ziegler (1921–2006) | 20 December 1973 | 28 October 1980 | 2504 | Social Democratic Party |
| 10 | | Norbert Burger (1932–2012) | 28 October 1980 | 30 September 1999 | 6911 | Social Democratic Party |
| 11 | | Harry Blum (1944–2000) | 1 October 1999 | 17 March 2000 | 168 | Christian Democratic Union |
| 12 | | Fritz Schramma (born 1947) | 20 September 2000 | 20 October 2009 | 3317 | Christian Democratic Union |
| 13 | | Jürgen Roters (born 1949) | 21 October 2009 | 20 October 2015 | 2190 | Social Democratic Party |
| 14 | | Henriette Reker (born 1956) | 22 October 2015 | Incumbent | 3432 | Independent |

## City managers 1946–1999

* 1946–1953: Dr. Willi Suth
* 1953–1965: Dr. Max Adenauer
* 1965–1977: Prof. Dr. Heinz Mohnen
* 1977–1989: Kurt Rossa
* 1989–1998: Lothar Ruschmeier
* 1998–1999: Klaus Heugel