Germany · Richard von Weizsäcker

Richard von Weizsäcker was born in Stuttgart in 1920 and came from a family with a long tradition. During the Second World War, he served as a soldier. After the war, he studied law and history and worked as a lawyer. He became involved in the Christlich Demokratische Union at an early stage and was a member of the German Bundestag (Deutscher Bundestag) from 1969 onward.

From 1981 to 1984, von Weizsäcker was Governing Mayor of West Berlin. In this capacity, he represented a city shaped by the division of Germany and the political confrontation of the Cold War. He subsequently assumed the office of Federal President (Bundespräsident). His term of office initially coincided with the final years of the division and subsequently with the reunification of Germany. After reunification, he remained in office until 1994, making him the first Federal President of reunified Germany.

Particular attention was drawn to his speech marking the 40th anniversary of the end of the war on 8 May 1985. In it, he described the end of National Socialist rule not as a defeat of the German people, but as liberation. At the same time, he recalled the responsibility for the crimes of National Socialism and the obligation to keep their memory alive. The speech shaped the political culture of remembrance in the Federal Republic.

Von Weizsäcker was also noted for his non-partisan conduct in office and his role as a mediating voice in political life. As Federal President, he primarily had representative and integrative duties; his public impact therefore rested especially on speeches, visits and statements.

The choice of his portrait for a commemorative coin can be explained by this connection between German post-war history, national unity and historical responsibility. The focus is not only on the person of the Federal President, but also on the political remembrance of Germany’s approach to its past and of the transition from division to unity.