Rainer Barzel
 Rainer Barzel    (  politician) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Rainer Candidus Barzel 20 June 1924 Braunsberg, East Prussia, Germany |
| Died | 26 August 2006 (Age 82) Munich, Bavaria, Germany |
| Nationality | German |
| Alma mater | University of Cologne |
| Religion |  Catholic |
| Children | Claudia |
| Spouse | Kriemhild Barzel |
| Party | CDU |
Rainer Candidus Barzel was a German politician who attended the 1965 Bilderberg meeting. Barzel was as Chairman of the CDU from 1971 to 1973 and ran as the CDU's candidate for Chancellor of Germany in the 1972 elections, losing to Willy Brandt's SPD.
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Background
Barzel was born in Braunsberg in Warmia, the Catholic part of East Prussia, the fifth of seven children of the senior student councillor Candidus Barzel and his wife Maria. After his father was transferred to Berlin, Barzel attended school there. In the meantime, he spent a year at the Jesuit Canisius College in Berlin. Barzel remained a practicing Catholic throughout his life.[1]
During the Second World War, from 1941 to 1945, he was a soldier/observer in the rank of a lieutenant of the Luftwaffe in Flensburg, Norway and on the Black Sea. He participated in several evacuation flights from Sevastopol in 1944 and was able to save 40 German soldiers from death or captivity. In the last weeks of the war, he was a teacher of air combat tactics at the Naval School in Kiel.[1]
From 1959 he was a first lieutenant at sea of the reserve of the German Navy.
Education
After the surrender in May 1945, Barzel was quickly released from British captivity. Barzel and his fiancee then took the train to Cologne to visit their parents. His father-in-law encouraged him to study and supported him financially. He studied law and economics at the University of Cologne from 1945 to 1949. [1]
Career
In 1949 he joined the service of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where he was particularly protected by the politician Carl Spiecker. In 1955 he became advisor and speechwriter to the Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Karl Arnold (CDU). After Arnold's downfall due to a vote of no confidence, Barzel took a leave of absence in 1956 and became a full-time employee of the CDU.
Barzel was Minister of All-German Affairs (1962–63) under Konrad Adenauer, Parliamentary group leader of the CDU/CSU (1964–1973), Minister of Intra-German Relations (1982–1983) in Helmut Kohl's cabinet, and President of the Bundestag (1983–1984).
Later career
From 1973 he worked in a law firm. After leaving politics, Barzel worked as a legal advisor, author and political consultant. Together with a Polish director, he made a film in 1987 about the reunion with his East Prussian homeland: "To visit, but not as a stranger". He expressed his strong interest in peace in the Middle East and in the city of Jerusalem as the author of his second film in 1989: "Jerusalem, a city that concerns us".
Marriages
Rainer Barzel was married three times: with his first wife Kriemhild, whom he had met in Berlin in 1940 and married in 1948, he had a daughter Claudia, born in 1949, who took her own life in 1977. Kriemhild Barzel died of leukemia in Munich in 1980 after a long illness. Three years later, Barzel married the future chairman of Welthungerhilfe, Helga Henselder-Barzel, who died in a car accident near Solms (Hesse) on December 15, 1995. In 1997, Rainer Barzel married the actress Ute Cremer, with whom he lived in Munich.
Rainer Barzel died on August 26, 2006 after a long, serious illness in Munich.
Event Participated in
| Event | Start | End | Location(s) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilderberg/1965 | 2 April 1965 | 4 April 1965 | Italy Villa d'Este | The 14th Bilderberg meeting, held in Italy |
