[3] From 1970 to 1990, he was a city councillor (Stadtrat) in the government of Frankfurt, as Dezernent für Kultur und Freizeit, responsible for culture and leisure.

"[6] Hoffmann supported the Mousonturm [de] as a venue for alternative culture, and the restoration of the ruined opera house as the concert hall and congress centre Alte Oper.

[2] He taught film theory and cultural politics at the universities of Bochum, Marburg and Frankfurt, and as a visiting professor in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

[8] When he retired from the post as president of the Goethe-Institut in 2002, Bundespräsident Johannes Rau said "Der Mann streitet glaubwürdig – und ein begnadeter Bettler ist er auch" (The man argues believably, and is also a gifted beggar").

[2] After his death, Germany's minister of culture, Monika Grütters said that Germany lost one of its most formative and successful cultural politicians ("einen ihrer prägendsten und erfolgreichsten Kulturpolitiker") who had the great talent to inspire people across party barriers ("Menschen zu begeistern auch über alle Parteigrenzen hinweg").

Its fourth edition added Walter Wallmann, mayor of Frankfurt and honorary citizen of 2009, who was for many years a supporter of Hoffmann's visions such as the Museumsufer.