It is the "World Leadership Summit" in Cologne. Obama is the only participant who can actually lay claim to such a lofty title. And through his Obama Foundation and appearances like the one in Cologne on Thursday evening, he is fulfilled, even without being able to exercise the power he enjoyed while in office.

Now he is an ambassador for his political message, which is positively received in Germany, especially in light of his successor, who has been observed very critically in this country. But the name Donald Trump is not mentioned once this evening. Obama adheres to the unwritten rule that a former U.S. president does not speak ill of his successor. This does not mean that there are no clear words. "One of the biggest dangers for democracy today is that we can no longer agree on the basic facts," says the ex-president, alluding to "alternative facts" and fake news. "People only accept the facts that reinforce their opinions." Or: "We never had a scandal in our government. Nobody went to prison." And: "We preserved our integrity.”

In the afternoon Obama landed with his private plane at Cologne-Bonn Airport. From there he went to the Hyatt Hotel on the banks of the Rhine in Cologne, directly opposite the cathedral. The hotel is used to being visited by celebrities: pop stars and other celebrities regularly stay here - also because of its proximity to the Lanxess Arena. The presidential suite of the hotel, 180 square meters in size and equipped with piano, steam bath and whirlpool, could not be occupied by the former president - according to reports from several media, it had been rented to a TV station on a long-term basis.

But that didn't spoil his mood in the evening. With a boyish smile, he described his experiences after leaving the presidency. The first surprise: "I had to make my own coffee!” And compete with his wife Michelle Obama and his daughters for space in the wardrobes. "That wasn't a problem in the White House." Obama made a declaration of love to his wife on stage: he said she was "unique: clever, strong, beautiful - and a good dancer". He explained that their success arose from their growing up in humble circumstances: ”We could not expect the world to give us anything". Michelle Obama did not hear the praise from her husband as she was not in Cologne.

But of course the ex-president also talked seriously about the challenges, the office, doubts and difficult decisions. For example, about the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden: "We knew our chance was 50/ 50, but we decided to take the risk." When in office, one has to live with the problem that there is usually no clearly right or wrong decision.

The Cologne police were relaxed about the visit of the former U.S. president. "We have a lot of experience with such situations," said a spokesman, probably thinking of the G8 summit in Cologne in 1999 when Chancellor Gerhard Schröder invited world leaders to attend. Back then, it was not only the then U.S. President Bill Clinton who drank half a Kölsch in the Brauhaus Malzmühle (to wash down his sauerbraten with dumplings and apple sauce). British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Russia's Boris Yeltsin and President Jacques Chirac (France) also attended that summit.

In comparison, Obama's short visit was manageable. The main focus of the Cologne police was to ensure safe and smooth transfers to the city and to secure the streets over long distances. Traffic obstructions were limited. Late in the evening, a police spokesman stated: "Everything went as smoothly as we had hoped for.” He added that the former president came with his own security detail as well.

Alexander Müller, Managing Director of the Cologne event and seminar agency "Gedankentanken", which brought the former president to Cologne, explains. "We asked ourselves two years ago: Who is the best speaker in the world?” Eight weeks ago, the former U.S. president confirmed he would come.

"You can imagine that Obama has a lot of offers to speak in Europe," says Müller. "He was convinced by our concept." Müller remained silent about the former president’s speaking fee but American media report that Obama appearances cost up to 400,000 dollars. "But he certainly didn't come because of the money," organizer Müller is sure.

Frank Thelen, a Bonn businessman known for financing start-ups, said he found Obama to be a very inspiring speaker and was part of an exclusive group of guests who dined with the president before his appearance at Lanxess Arena. Those who paid full price to be included at the dinner had to fork out 5,000 euros.

On Friday, Obama is expected in Berlin - for a townhall meeting with teenagers and young adults from all over Europe who are expected to occupy leading positions in the future. He will also be received in the office of Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom he calls his friend.

(Orig. text: Kai Pfundt, Translation: Carol Kloeppel)