Matchstick carl

It-boy, favorite Offenbacher, cult figure: Karl Winterkorn roamed Offenbach's cider taverns at the beginning of the 20th century selling matches as "Streichholzkarlchen". In 1999, a monument was erected to the little man with the mischievous manner on Wilhelmsplatz; master stonemason Judith Quartier sculpted the lovable fellow on Wilhelmsplatz. Since 2026, a pedestrian traffic light at the Bieberer Straße/Waldstraße junction has also commemorated him.

The little man, who was nourished by the itinerant sale of matches, was one of Offenbach's most popular figures in the 1920s and 30s. Anyone who made fun of him did not owe him any respect. When the Offenbach town band serenaded him in front of his apartment in Gerberstraße on his 50th birthday, it was something of a tribute. After all, he was considered a lovable guy.

A group of committed citizens led by city councillors Hermann Schoppe and Stephan Wildhirt commemorate him with the monument on Wilhelmsplatz with its weekly market. As an ornament to the city, for the sake of memory and Offenbach's identity. In Judith Quartier, this citizens' initiative found a stonemason with creative power.

The idea of making "Streichholzkarlchen" visible in the streetscape was born out of the desire to bring more city history into the everyday lives of citizens. Following a decision by the city councillors, the project was implemented by the Office for Mobility in cooperation with the Offenbach University of Art and Design (HfG).

At the OIMD - Offenbach Institute for Mobility Design, Prof. Peter Eckart, Daniel Rese, Annika Storch and Marie Bünner, a student at the HfG, developed the figure of the "Streichholzkarlchen" as a "walking" and "standing" little man for the pedestrian signals. The design was based on the sculpture by stonemason Judith Quartier.

For legal reasons, the new symbols appear in addition to the familiar, rule-compliant traffic light figures.