Clemens Baumgärtner has an exciting political CV. As a teenager he joined the Junge Union, and as a student he was elected to the district committee – the committee in which his mother is also active. And that for the same party: the CSU. Since March 1, 2019, he has headed the Department of Labor and Economy for the city of Munich, where many important decisions are made and the threads come together for the largest folk festival in the world: the Oktoberfest.
What is it like as a CSU member working at a power hub with a green-red town hall majority? Why did he move into politics so early – and never leave Munich for a long time? Why the Oktoberfest will always remain a place of longing for him and why he defends it so passionately against all attempts at wokeness? What political ambitions does he have when his term expires in 2025 and may not be renewed? He answers these and many other questions in an interview.
This is not the first time that the economic department could serve as a stepping stone to higher political office. Dieter Reiter (SPD), the current mayor of Munich, who wants to run for re-election in 2026, once sat in the office with a view over the city where the conversation took place.
For the Munich editorial podcast, Ulrike Heidenreich and René Hofmann, the heads of the Munich, region and Bavaria department, as well as people editor Sabine Buchwald and social media editor Jana Jöbstl meet alternately with different guests. They pick you up at your place of residence or work and accompany you on your personal route. Sometimes by tram, subway, sometimes in a taxi or even on foot. Or they arrange to meet at special places in the city for a conversation.
It’s about current projects and very personal plans, about topics that move the city. The SZ podcast team invites people who have a connection to Munich. You live in the city or are visiting. They come from the areas of politics, gastronomy, culture, sport or media.
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“Munich Personal” is the podcast South German newspaper about people and issues that move the city. The podcast appears every two weeks. Don’t miss an episode and subscribe to our audio offering in your favorite podcast app or at iTunes, Spotify, Deezer, Audio Now. You can find an overview of all our podcasts at www.sz.de/podcast and Here you can find out how you can listen to our podcasts.