Cologne clique

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As Kölner Klüngel , Kölscher Klüngel ( Kölsch : Kölsche Klüngel ) or simply Klüngel , a system of mutual assistance and favors is referred to in Cologne - and in the case of the third, non-local-specific form now also beyond . The concealed interaction in non-public relationships that can hardly be controlled can lead to a mixture of social, political and business interests and thus easily cross the line to corruption . In everyday use, however, Klüngel also has a positive connotation in the Cologne area, in the sense of "one hand washes the other" (lat. Manus manum lavat ), "you know each other, you help each other", "have relationships" or network or " to be connected".

Word origin

The term Klüngel is derived from clungilin as a diminutive of clunga = ball and therefore means "small ball". The word stands for a structure in which hundreds of threads “run into and through each other, so that one cannot see through from the outside how everything is connected”. The English to cling (to hold on, to cling) grew out of the same stem .

The earliest evidence of the word with the meaning "fraudulent machinations" comes from the year 1782 and is related to the city lottery.

Related terms with a similar meaning are the verb mauscheln and the noun mauschelei.

meaning

In Kölschen , the meaning of "Klüngel" is more complex than what has been adopted from it in general German usage. In his dictionary New Cologne Vocabulary , the linguist Adam Wrede writes almost an entire page about the meanings of the words from this word field. It is particularly interesting that an inaccurate, carelessly carried out work is considered “ prudish ”, just like some other words include not only a dissolute or sloppy use of the rules of decency, but also care. A clique is also simply a group of connected people who don't necessarily have to be up to evil. However, since "clashes" are generally not subject to any public control, there is always the risk of unbalanced decision-making processes that do not always take into account all legitimate interests.

In German usage, on the other hand, only the under-hand trading, the secret agreements, and possibly the illegitimate acceptance and granting of advantages are associated with the clique. Outside Cologne, the term nepotism is used almost synonymously. A positive designation for building a network of relationships is " networking " (building and using networks). Members of a network mostly only want to generate mutual advantages for those involved in the network, but not a benefit for third parties (e.g. customers, companies, society or the state).

The author Frank Überall , on the other hand, sees three levels of the term: situational cooperation, networks and corruption. He advocates the thesis that Klüngel should not be reduced to corrupt acts, but - especially in the field of politics - also has elements that promote democracy. Compare the words of Heinrich Lützeler : Everyone talks to everyone here, that is the Rhenish form of democracy.

A sharp critic of the Klüngel, on the other hand, is the author Werner Rügemer , who in his book Colonia Corrupta Klüngel describes it as a “national exoneration cliché ” and uses numerous examples from Adenauer to the collapse of the Cologne Historical Archive to expose the illegal machinations as serious corruption.

Historical development

Early examples of the Klüngel can be seen in connection with the enormous veneration of saints in Cologne, one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Germany in the Middle Ages (see also the Cologne coat of arms and the legend of Saint Ursula with the 11,000 virgins and their later form).

After the Battle of Worringen in 1288, 15 patrician families took over the city regiment from the archbishop and directed the politics of their city according to their own taste. In 1396, the strengthened merchants and craftsmen in the "Verbundbrief" with their political gaffes forced a (initially democratic) participation in politics. Mayors and council members from the same families are, however, an indication that something had changed only partially. This system was in place until the French Revolution and ended with the occupation of Cologne by French revolutionary troops in 1794 .

After 1815, Cologne belonged to Prussia , with the result that the Cologne city administration came under Prussian supervision, which put a stop to some excesses of the clique. For example, the rule was that father and son were never allowed to hold office on the council at the same time. Political dignitaries should be wealthy and therefore insensitive to illegitimate income in office.

One side of the famous former mayor of Cologne and later first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Konrad Adenauer is historically secured, but hardly noticed by the public: his weakness for the personal use of economic advantages by taking advantage of his office. On January 27, 1923, he acquired new shares in Rheinbraun AG without being able to pay the equivalent of 613,000 marks. The city treasury helped out and received their money from Adenauer three months later without interest. An insider tip - not yet punishable at the time - helped the speculating mayor in February 1928 to acquire shares in Glanzstoff AG worth 2.8 million Reichsmarks, of which he was only able to raise 1.8 million. Adenauer - on the supervisory board of Deutsche Bank - received the missing million from this as a loan. As a result of the stock market crash in New York, the Glanzstoff courses plummeted from 99 to 25 US dollars, so that a friend helped him out with the loan repayment “on loan”. However, it was never returned because the lawyer Adenauer was of the opinion that he did not “need to return anything” with this loan.

Konrad Adenauer , Mayor of Cologne at the time of the Weimar Republic , is assigned the slogan “We know each other, we help each other”. After the Second World War , the principle continued to apply. City administration promotion lists circulated among the ruling party and were changed at will. Unqualified “weak people” filled highly paid positions in the societies close to the city. A psychiatrist became chairman of the supervisory board of Cologne / Bonn Airport, a former administrative inspector its technical director.

An example of an exposed criminal clique was the scandal about the new building of the Cologne exhibition company (see also Josef Esch ), not too long ago the scandal about the construction of a waste incineration plant and the Cologne donation affair . The political majority structure was manipulated through thank you donations, consultancy contracts and highly paid positions. The Cologne district court put the damage caused by the bribe payments to the Cologne waste incineration plant at 20.4 million euros. The proceedings against the waste contractor Hellmut Trienekens were discontinued in 2005 against payment of 5 million euros. Esch tried to do the "business of his life" at the expense of the ailing Arcandor concern . Arcandor (formerly KarstadtQuelle AG) went bankrupt in 2009; Esch plunged some of the richest Germans and the private bank Sal. Oppenheim into financial ruin.

At a lower level, the clique continues to happen in the civic associations of Cologne, such as B. in the large carnival societies. Not only is the carnival organized there, they are also an important forum for contacts and business relationships.

The definition is said to come from Kurt Rossa , Cologne City Director between 1977 and 1989: "Kölscher Klüngel means 'solving business problems privately'". "The quote from 1977, when he presented himself to the Cologne City Council with these words, is certainly proven : “Include me in your clique!” Not only the council, but the whole city was enthusiastic. The mayor, Norbert Burger , who was in office from 1980 to 1999, is given the definition that Cologne clique is "clearing up difficulties in the run-up to decisions".

media

Cologne city indicator, neon advertising

Media evaluation

“Corruption is clinking without character” wrote Bennack and Uhlenbruch in their 2003 book Humor as a Cologne Philosophy .

In his dissertation, Frank Überall (see literature ) described, among other things, the crux of the mayor Fritz Schramma , who struggled to meet the requirements of the office - after the abolition of the " dual leadership " of the politically representative mayor on the one hand and the city director as administrative director on the other hand - as a representative and at the same time Chief of Administration to deal with. In southern Germany, on the other hand , this form of political municipal constitution has been established for decades. Everywhere came the conclusion: "Without (positive) clique democracy would hardly be feasible!".

Werner Rügemer, on the other hand, criticizes this attitude of Frank Überall in his book Colonia Corrupta and unmasks the trivializing term Klüngel as illegal corruption.

Another focus is the concentration of media in Cologne. The publishing house M. DuMont Schauberg has stakes in the daily newspapers Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger , Kölnische Rundschau , Express , the Kölner Illustrierte , the local radio program Radio Köln and the local television program Center.tv . At the same time, the shareholders of M. DuMont Schauberg are involved in Cologne's largest housing company, GAG Immobilien . Supervisory Board Alfred Neven DuMont was President of the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce and has been an honorary citizen since 2001.

The author of the television film Der König von Köln (ARD, 2019), Werner Rügemer , says about the “Kölschen Klüngel” that they act strictly according to the principle: “You know each other, you help each other”.

See also

literature

  • Frank Überall : The clique in the political culture of Cologne . Bouvier, Bonn 2007, ISBN 978-3-416-03125-7 (also dissertation at the University of Tübingen , 2007).
  • Erwin K. and Ute Scheuch : Cliques, Cliques and Careers . Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1992, ISBN 3-4991-2599-4 (The sociological standard work on the phenomenon of political corruption using the example of the "Kölner Klüngels").
  • Peter Demant: The city sponsors or the garbage mafia . Documentary Cologne crime thriller, Schardt, Oldenburg 2005, ISBN 3-89841-174-5 .
  • Norbert Feldhoff: Kölscher Klüngel. Yesterday, today, tomorrow and everywhere. Bachem, Cologne 1996, ISBN 3-761-62034-9 .
  • Reinold Louis: The little book of the Kölschen Klüngel . 3. Edition. Wienand, Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-87909-448-9 (111 pages with 29 drawings by Alex Ignatius).
  • Stephan Laux : Kränzchen, Mäkelei and Klüngel. Municipal writing in German cities between arcane politics and the public (16th-18th centuries) , in: Sprachwissenschaft 41 (2016), H. 3/4, pp. 243–269.
  • Werner Rügemer : Colonia Corrupta. Globalization, privatization and corruption in the shadow of the Cologne clique . 7th edition. Westphalian steam boat, Münster 2012, ISBN 978-3-89691-525-2 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Duden in 12 volumes. Vol. 7 Etymology: Dictionary of Origin of the German Language. Bibliographisches Institut, Mannheim 1989, ISBN 3-411-20907-0
  2. ↑ Brockhaus Encyclopedia. Vol. 27: German Dictionary Vol. 2. FA Brockhaus, Mannheim 1995, ISBN 3-7653-1127-8 .
  3. ↑ Heribert A. Hilgers , June 1993, p. 24; quoted from Norbert Feldhoff: Kölscher Klüngel. Yesterday, today, tomorrow and everywhere. Cologne 1996, p. 20.
  4. ^ Adam Wrede : New Cologne vocabulary. Greven Verlag, Cologne 1956–1958. Second volume K - R, ISBN 3-7743-0156-5 , page 55 bottom left.
  5. ↑ LVR Institute for Regional Studies and Regional History : interactive dictionary of the Rhenish colloquial language (word of the month: Klüngel )
  6. ^ Adam Wrede: New Cologne vocabulary. Greven Verlag, Cologne 1956–1958, second volume K - R, ISBN 3-7743-0156-5 , page 55 bottom left to page 56 top left.
  7. ↑ a b c Werner Rügemer: Colonia Corrupta. 2012, p. 37 ff.
  8. ↑ WDR : Expensive clique about new halls? ( Memento of September 27, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) October 12, 2006
  9. ↑ zeit.de January 2012: Josef and his greedy millionaires
  10. ↑ Hans Conrad Zander: Praise of stupidity . 2005, ISBN 3825855937 , p. 161.
  11. ↑ Ehrenburger turns 70. By Pascal Beucker and Frank Überall . In: taz Cologne from November 21, 2002; under [1] .
  12. ↑ "Democracy does not work without Klüngel" , RP-Online from December 7, 2007
  13. ↑ LfM report on media concentration 2012 (PDF; 2.9 MB).
  14. ↑ Werner Rügemer, Stephan Karkowsky: A lot will certainly be refined. In: https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/ . Deutschlandfunk, December 11, 2019, accessed on December 13, 2019 .