More cleaning, less graffiti, and better oversight of advertising structures
10.06.2026 – The city of Offenbach is working to maintain a vibrant and diverse downtown through the projects outlined in its Downtown Future Concept, which include the conversion of the former Kaufhof building into the new Station Mitte and the addition of more green spaces in the pedestrian zone. However, public spaces are only truly attractive when they are tidy and clean: among the challenges are therefore the many minor issues that repeatedly arise in public spaces and must be addressed. To be able to respond more quickly and to keep a constant eye on even small improvements, the “Downtown Task Force” has been in operation for over two years. It comprises representatives from the Public Order Office, City Management, Stadtservice, the Office of Planning and Construction, as well as the municipal building inspectorate and the Stabsstelle “Clean Offenbach”. This is because multiple municipal departments are responsible for some challenges. To respond clearly and quickly in these situations, it helps to discuss the cases together. To this end, the responsible parties meet monthly.
“The task force is focused on the many small issues that we want to resolve or improve as quickly as possible,” says Paul-Gerhard Weiß, head of the Public Order Department. “This includes, for example, storefront displays, the use of trash cans, repairing loose sidewalk slabs, removing graffiti, or unauthorized vehicles entering the pedestrian zone—challenges that all major cities face,” says Weiß. “There’s no magic solution: Regular checks are undoubtedly necessary. But the Public Order Office and city police can’t be everywhere at once. That’s why we’ve created a structure with the task force where officials from city administration and public utilities meet regularly to address issues in a coordinated and targeted manner.”
As part of this joint effort, Stadtservice has already responded in recent months to private trash bins that were repeatedly overflowing and has optimized trash collection in the pedestrian zone. Cleaning schedules on the market square and at the new “Pocket Park” at the corner of Herrnstraße and Stadthof have been revised, the sidewalk paving in front of the Sheraton Hotel has been repaired, and the popular red chairs on Aliceplatz have been cleaned and partially replaced. In the past, the dirtiness of the stairwells leading to the underground garages had caused great discontent: The stairs to the City Hall underground garage are now deep-cleaned every two weeks, and the city has also obtained permission from the owner—who had not complied with cleaning requests to the desired extent—to clean the stairwells leading to the underground garage beneath Hugenottenplatz. Cleaning is to take place monthly for the time being, while the owner considers restricting access to the stairwells.
Another recurring nuisance has been the graffiti that keeps appearing on building walls and street furniture: For example, in recent months, Stadtservice has cleaned the planters on Hugenottenplatz with a high-pressure washer, the kiosk at Aliceplatz was repainted, and in collaboration with the owners and tenants, graffiti on the storefronts of the KOMM Center, in the area of the Douglas drugstore, and on the former post office building across from the KOMM was repeatedly removed. “This is sometimes a Sisyphean task,” notes City Treasurer Martin Wilhelm, who is responsible for Stadtservice: “No sooner is something removed than new tags and graffiti appear again—a real nuisance for property owners as well. That’s why we’re staying on top of this and removing this graffiti time and again, to make it as unattractive as possible for the sprayers.”
Discussions are currently underway between EVO and the city regarding the distribution building on the south side of Wilhelmsplatz. The OFC is prepared to take on a new design in honor of its 125th anniversary. Regarding an unauthorized advertising structure at a store on Frankfurter Straße, discussions are underway with the owner—the neon sign must remain turned off until further notice. As part of the inspection of unauthorized advertising structures, several additional legal hearings are underway; in some cases, the structures have been dismantled or modified to comply with regulations. Preparations are also underway for the planned repair of loose paving stones in front of the underground parking garage at City Hall, as well as the replacement of missing trash cans at Platz der Deutschen Einheit and the City Tower. Inspections of the special-use areas for outdoor dining are also being planned. The problem of unauthorized vehicle entry into the pedestrian zone is to be resolved in the medium term through the installation of retractable bollards planned for next year.
Other measures taken by the task force in the past include lighting the underground garage entrance of the M.Schneider department store, an agreement with Deutsche Telekom to gradually remove telephone booths in the city center, the evaluation of measures to improve contaminated areas at the corner of Herrnstraße andGeleitsstraße, the replacement of trash cans, the adjustment of cleaning schedules for sidewalks and bicycle parking areas, the repainting of utility boxes, and the verification that merchandise stands are properly positioned.
Residents can use the Offenbach Defect Reporting System via the Offenbach App or at the link below: