The death of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on Wednesday also sparked great sympathy in his hometown of Fürth. Mayor Thomas Jung (SPD) praised him as a “Furth native that will no longer exist any time soon.” Despite the persecution of his family by the National Socialists and the loss of his homeland at a young age, he “had no thoughts of retaliation.” Kissinger met the people in Fürth and Germany “with openness and honest interest.” Jung describes him as a “modest, down-to-earth and warm-hearted person” who was just as interested in the development of the city as in that of “his heartfelt football club”.
This – the Greuther Fürth game association – wrote on Thursday: The club is mourning “one of its most loyal, but certainly the best-known cloverleaf fan in the world.”
Probably the “most famous cloverleaf fan in the world”: Henry Kissinger during a stadium visit in 2010.
(Photo: imago sports photo service)
As a child he didn’t want to miss a Greuther Fürth game; as a politician he later became an honorary member of the club.
(Photo: imago stock&people)
During his childhood in Fürth, Kissinger, who later became an honorary member, initially secretly went to the games association’s games. The love for the club did not fade until old age. This also has the statement “This is my Ronhof!” during a visit to the stadium of the same name in 2010, when Kissinger explained where he usually stood during games as a young boy. He was always informed about the game results. The German Embassy used to have to report this to him promptly. Later he was able to follow the football events in Germany via the Internet.
The Fürth Bundestag member Tobias Winkler also remembers Kissinger’s enthusiasm for football. During a visit to New York in 2011, he spoke to Kissinger about a game association football game the evening before. Despite the time difference, the ex-foreign minister was well informed about how the game was going. With Kissinger’s death, Fürth lost “one of the city’s most important sons.” We look back on him with sadness and pride.
Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) emphasized Kissinger’s Bavarian origins: “He was connected to Bavaria, Franconia, Fürth and his old homeland and Jewish life until the end.” Bavaria mourns the loss of the former politician, an important statesman “who was able to convince people with his foresight and great analytical acumen.”
The Free State will “preserve an honorable memory of its famous son.” Kissinger was one of the most influential foreign policy observers and thinkers. “Not all of his positions were uncontroversial. But he was one of the most important and cleverest foreign policymakers of the last century.”
In June, Kissinger received the Bavarian Order of Maximilian, the highest honor in the Free State.
(Photo: Daniel Vogl/dpa)
A big stage was set for Kissinger on his 100th birthday in Fürth in June.
(Photo: Daniel Vogl/dpa)
Kissinger, who died at the age of 100, never lost his connection to his homeland of Bavaria. He last visited his hometown of Fürth in June and celebrated his 100th birthday there. “It is very moving for me to go back to my birthplace and find out how close the connections have remained between the place where I was born and my new home,” he said at the time. He died on Wednesday at his home in Connecticut.
Kissinger was born in Fürth in 1923. In 1938, as the son of Jewish parents, he and his family fled the National Socialists to the United States. Fürth awarded the Nobel Peace Prize winner and former US Secretary of State with the Golden Citizen Medal in 1973 and honorary citizenship in 1998. At the house where he was born on Mathildenstrasse, a plaque commemorates the late Fürther.
Henry Kissinger was born in Fürth in 1923. A plaque at the house where he was born commemorates the famous man.
(Photo: Daniel Karmann/dpa)
After his death on Wednesday, a mourning candle burned in front of the Kissinger house.
(Photo: Daniel Karmann/dpa)
A mourning flag for Kissinger was placed in front of the Fürth town hall. From December 4th, citizens can sign a condolence book.