Numerous politicians have expressed their sympathy for the death of Kurt Biedenkopf. The former Prime Minister of Saxony, as his family announced on Friday morning, died at the age of 91. A few days earlier it became known that Biedenkopf was being treated in the intensive care unit of a Dresden hospital. He is said to have had health problems for some time.
Biedenkopf, who began his political career in North Rhine-Westphalia in the 1970s, is best known for his time as Prime Minister of Saxony. He ruled the state from 1990 to 2002, grew very quickly into the role of father of the state and also gained popularity beyond Saxony, he was often jokingly called “King Kurt”.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier honored the services of the late former Saxon Prime Minister Kurt Biedenkopf for the merging of East and West. In a letter of condolence to Biedenkopf’s wife Ingrid, Steinmeier said on Friday that her husband was “an important figure of integration, a symbol of inner unity”. His name will always be associated with the political awakening in East Germany after the peaceful revolution. As Prime Minister, Biedenkopf had impressively succeeded in pushing reforms while at the same time maintaining the Saxon tradition. Steinmeier went on to say that Biedenkopf knew how to combine politics and science in an impressive way. He looks back gratefully on the encounters and conversations with the CDU politician. According to Steinmeier, Biedenkopf will be remembered “as a man who was straightforward, sensitive and reliable. I valued him very much and will never forget him.”
the CDU chairman Armin Laschet paid tribute to the late former Saxon Prime Minister Kurt Biedenkopf as a formative political figure in Germany. “He was an exceptional politician, a statesman and a father in the best sense of the word,” said Laschet on Friday in Berlin. As the first Prime Minister of the Free State of Saxony, Biedenkopf was an “engine of German unity”. He has made the country a blooming landscape and a high-tech location. As Secretary General of the CDU, Biedenkopf modernized the party in the 1970s. Biedenkopf died on Thursday evening at the age of 91. He fell asleep peacefully with his family, announced the State Chancellery in Dresden on behalf of the family on Friday. Laschet called Biedenkopf a “visionary and doer” and a “bridge builder between East and West”. He was a “pioneer of the social market economy”. As CDU general secretary, he has sharpened the party’s profile and made it a major member party. “He was the architect of the modern CDU and the programmatic pacemaker,” said the CDU chairman and candidate for chancellor of the Union. Personally, he was “a wonderful person”. “He has made lasting contributions to our country and to the Christian Democratic Union.”
Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) has recognized Kurt Biedenkopf as a great German personality of the 20th century. “A big Saxon has passed away,” said the CDU politician on Friday. “As Prime Minister from 1990 to 2002, he laid the foundation for the successful development of our homeland.” Under the aegis of Biedenkopf, the Saxon administration was rebuilt and universities and science were fundamentally reformed. Kretschmer also recalled the politician’s commitment to the settlement of companies and important decisions for infrastructure, culture and art. Kretschmer described Biedenkopf as a “gifted speaker and explainer of the world situation.” “We have all lost a great person. We will miss Kurt Biedenkopf. He will have a permanent place in Saxon history,” said Saxony’s head of government.
The Federal Government’s Eastern Commissioner, Marco Wanderwitz, as well as Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner and Economics Minister Peter Altmaier (all CDU) commented on Twitter:
