After a celebratory meeting of the city council had taken place a week earlier to mark the reopening of the New Town Hall, Lord Mayor Achim Exner invited the craftsmen involved in the renovation of the town hall to a proper reception in the inner courtyard of the renovated building on July 14, 1989.

Over beer and bratwurst, politicians and craftsmen exchanged many anecdotes from the 100-year history of the town hall and the time of the renovation in an informal, friendly atmosphere.

During the reception, the workers were given the well-deserved honor of signing the city's Golden Book alongside the numerous entries made by celebrities from politics, the military, society, sport, art and culture. The large number of people involved meant that four pages of the magnificent volume were needed to record all the signatures.