Kronawitter joined the SPD in 1961 and was elected to the
Landtag of Bavaria in 1966. In the 1972 local elections, he was elected Mayor of Munich with 55.9 percent of the votes, succeeding
Hans-Jochen Vogel. Due to conflicts within his party, he did not run for mayorship in the 1978 elections, and was succeeded by the
CSU's
Erich Kiesl. Six years later, he was elected mayor again in the 1 April 1984 run-off election, with 58.1 percent of the votes. In 1990, he was reelected with 61.64 percent of the votes. After his mayoral career, Kronawitter was a major supporter of the successful
Initiative-Unser-München petition, which stipulates that no high rise buildings whose height exceeds that of the
Frauenkirche (99 m) may be built in Munich. ==Honours==