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Preceded by 8th Bundespräsident Johannes Rau 1999 - 2004 |
Horst Köhler 9th Bundespräsident of the Bundesrepublik Deutschland |
Succeeded by 10th Bundespräsident Christian Wulff 2010 - 2012 |
Preceded by Director Dr. Michel Camdessus 1987 - 2000 |
Horst Köhler Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund 2000 - 2004 |
Succeeded by Director Rodrigo Rato 2004 - 2007 |
Horst Köhler was born in Skierbieszów, Poland. The place, which today belongs to the Lublin Voivodeship, was then in the General Government for the occupied Polish territories. After the German occupation in 1939, the place Skierbieszów was renamed "Heidenstein".
His parents Elisabeth and Eduard Köhler were Bessarabian Germans from Rîșcani in Romanian Bessarabia (near Bălți, present-day Moldova). They had to leave their home in Bessarabia in 1940 during the Nazi-Soviet population transfers that followed the invasion of Poland and the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, which awarded Bessarabia to the Soviet Union. As part of the Generalplan Ost, they were resettled in 1942 at Skierbieszów, a village near Zamość, Poland (then part of the General Government). As the Wehrmacht was pushed back and the first parts of Poland had to be abandoned in 1944, the Köhler family fled to Leipzig. In 1953, they left the Soviet Zone – via West Berlin – to escape from the communist regime. The family lived in refugee camps until 1957, when they settled in Ludwigsburg. Horst Köhler hence spent most of his first 14 years as a refugee.
A teacher recommended that the refugee boy should apply for the Gymnasium, and Köhler took his Abitur in 1963. After two years of military service at a Panzergrenadier battalion in Ellwangen, he left the Bundeswehr as Leutnant der Reserve (Reserve Lieutenant). He studied and finally gained a doctorate in economics and political sciences from the University of Tübingen.
Köhler has been married to Eva Luise Köhler since 1969, who was at times involved in local politics as a member of the SPD. They have two children.
On 31 May 2010, he announced his resignation from the office of Federal President, which he justified by criticizing his statements in the debate on the Bundeswehr's mission in Afghanistan.
Köhler is considered a great expert on Africa. His successor, Joachim Gauck, therefore repeatedly asked Köhler to officially represent him on state trips to Africa.
Featured Eurovision connections: Horst is 52 degrees from Agnetha Fältskog, 45 degrees from Anni-Frid Synni Reuß, 46 degrees from Corry Brokken, 41 degrees from Céline Dion, 49 degrees from Françoise Dorin, 48 degrees from France Gall, 51 degrees from Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, 48 degrees from Lill-Babs Svensson, 40 degrees from Olivia Newton-John, 54 degrees from Henriette Nanette Paërl, 52 degrees from Annie Schmidt and 41 degrees from Moira Kennedy on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
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