City council adopts measures to deal with graffiti in Jena

At its meeting on May 6, 2026, the city council of Jena adopted the "Measures for dealing with graffiti in Jena" by a large majority. For the first time, the city now has a comprehensive and coordinated concept for dealing with illegal graffiti, tags and other smearings in the city area in the future.

The resolution instructs the city administration to gradually implement the planned measures in accordance with the defined responsibilities and priorities. The aim is to reduce illegal graffiti in the medium to long term, provide better support for those affected, record reports in a more structured manner and at the same time further develop legal forms of urban art.

Mayor Benjamin Koppe explains: "I would like to expressly thank the city council for its broad support of this concept. Illegal graffiti and smearings have been a concern for citizens and the city council alike for some time. The increasing number of tags and damage affects the feeling of safety and the perception of public spaces. This is why we are tackling the issue holistically for the first time. The concept combines prevention, repression with consistent prosecution, faster clean-up, improved work processes within the administration, support for property owners and legal offers for young people. The decisive factor here is that all measures are interlinked and have a joint effect."

The concept is based on a so-called 6-pillar model. This comprises the areas of prevention, repression, clean-up, support for private households, monitoring and graffiti workflow as well as a street art focus. The starting point was the realization by a multi-professional working group from the administration, local businesses, youth welfare services and the police that isolated individual measures do not have a lasting effect.

Plans include the expansion of legal graffiti areas and preventative projects in youth centers and schools, closer cooperation with the police and judiciary, a structured handling process via the deficiency report, a prioritized and sustainable clean-up of public areas and, in the long term, funding opportunities for private owners. In addition, legal street art is to be promoted more strongly in order to specifically support creative forms of expression and enhance urban spaces.

The following applies to citizens with immediate effect: Illegal graffiti can be reported via the city of Jena's defect reporting system. The newly created category "Graffiti" is already available there. The reports help the city to record information centrally, clarify responsibilities and make focal points in the city area more visible.

Reports of fresh graffiti and criminal, offensive or extremist content are particularly important. These reports should be examined and processed as a matter of priority.

Possible financial support for private owners is envisaged in the concept, but is not yet available. The central information page on the subject of graffiti is also still being prepared. The concrete design of these measures will take place step by step in the further implementation process. The necessary financial resources would have to be applied for by the relevant departments or in-house operations as part of the budget planning and decided in the course of the annual budget consultations.

Further support services for those affected, such as comprehensible information on reporting channels, removal options or preventive protective measures, are also to be developed step by step.

"It is important to us that those affected are not left alone in future and that it is made clear that illegal damage to property is not a situation that we can accept in the long term. That is why we are deliberately focusing not only on repression, but also on prevention, legal services and close cooperation with the police and judiciary. Especially where perpetrators are identified, consistent procedures and comprehensible reactions are needed," concludes Mayor Benjamin Koppe.