Klaus Wowereit facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Klaus Wowereit
Wowereit in 2009
Governing Mayor of Berlin
In office 16 June 2001 – 11 December 2014
Mayor	Wolfgang Wieland Klaus Böger Gregor Gysi Karin Schubert Harald Wolf Ingeborg Junge-Reyer Frank Henkel Michael Müller
Preceded by	Eberhard Diepgen
Succeeded by	Michael Müller
President of the Bundesrat
In office 1 November 2001 – 31 October 2002
First Vice President	Kurt Beck
Preceded by	Kurt Beck
Succeeded by	Wolfgang Böhmer
Deputy Leader of the Social Democratic Party
In office 12 November 2009 – 14 November 2013 Serving with Hannelore Kraft, Manuela Schwesig, Olaf Scholz
Leader	Sigmar Gabriel
Preceded by	Andrea Nahles
Succeeded by	Ralf Stegner
Leader of the Social Democratic Party in the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin
In office 10 October 1999 – 16 June 2001
Deputy	Hermann Borghorst Kirsten Flesch Christian Gaebler Irana Rusta
Preceded by	Klaus Böger
Succeeded by	Michael Müller
Parliamentary constituencies Member of the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin In office 26 October 2006 – 27 October 2011 Preceded by Peter Kurth Succeeded by Claudio Jupe Constituency Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf 5 In office 30 November 1995 – 26 October 2006 Preceded by multi-member district Succeeded by multi-member district Constituency Tempelhof-Schöneberg
Personal details
Born	(1953-10-01) 1 October 1953 (age 71) Tempelhof, West Berlin, West Germany (now Germany)
Political party	Social Democratic Party of Germany (1972–)
Domestic partner	Jörn Kubicki (1993–2020)
Residence	Berlin
Alma mater	Free University of Berlin
Occupation	Politician Jurist Civil Servant
Signature

Klaus Wowereit (born 1 October 1953) is a German politician. He was the Governing Mayor of Berlin from 2001 to 2014. He belongs to the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

In the 2001 state elections, his party won the most votes. He also served as the President of the Bundesrat in 2001 and 2002. The Bundesrat is an important part of Germany's government. His SPD-led government was re-elected in 2006. After the 2011 elections, the SPD formed a new government with the Christian Democratic Union.

Early Life and Education

Klaus Wowereit was born in West Berlin. He went to the Ulrich-von-Hutten-Oberschule until 1973. After high school, he studied law at the Free University of Berlin. He finished his law studies in 1981 and 1984.

Political Journey

After finishing his studies, Wowereit worked for the Berlin government for three years. He then ran for election as a city council member in the Tempelhof district. At 30, he became the youngest city councilor in Berlin.

He served as a District Councillor for eleven years. In 1995, he was elected to the Berlin House of Representatives. This is like the state parliament for the city of Berlin. In 1999, he became the leader of the SPD group in this parliament.

Leading Berlin as Mayor (2001–2014)

Klaus Wowereit became the Governing Mayor of Berlin in June 2001. Before this, the SPD had left a partnership with another party, the CDU. This led to new elections. After these elections, Wowereit formed a new government with the PDS. ..... This phrase showed that Berlin had a history of working-class people and faced money problems. But it also meant the city was full of exciting culture and art. The low cost of living helped attract artists, writers, and new businesses. However, some people worried about rising rents and changes in neighborhoods.

In the elections on 17 September 2006, Wowereit's SPD was the strongest party. They continued their partnership with Die Linke. Wowereit was re-elected as Governing Mayor in November 2006. In the elections on 18 September 2011, his party was again the strongest.

Wowereit also focused on making Berlin a welcoming place for everyone. In 2011, he published a book called Mut zur Integration – für ein neues Miteinander. This means "Courage for integration – for a new together." He also appointed Dilek Kolat, a politician of Turkish origin, to a high position in the government. In 2012, he named Şermin Langhoff as the artistic director of a famous theater.

In 2013, after federal elections, Wowereit helped the SPD negotiate with Chancellor Angela Merkel's party. They worked together to form a new national government.

On 26 August 2014, Wowereit announced he would step down as mayor. He resigned on 11 December 2014. At that time, he had been the longest-serving leader of a German state.

Challenges with Berlin Brandenburg Airport

Klaus Wowereit was involved in the project to build the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport. He was on the airport's supervisory board from 2003. In 2006, he became the chairman of this board.

However, the airport faced many delays and cost increases. Because of these problems, Wowereit gave up his chairmanship in January 2013. The prime minister of Brandenburg, Matthias Platzeck, took over. Wowereit faced criticism for the airport's issues. He was accused of not seeing problems early enough and of putting political friends on the board instead of experts.

When Platzeck resigned for health reasons in 2013, Wowereit became chairman again. He announced his resignation as mayor partly because of the airport delays. He called it the "biggest failure" of his time in office.

Life After Being Mayor

After leaving politics, Klaus Wowereit continued to be active. From 2015 to 2016, he helped lead a group looking into unfair treatment based on gender in Germany. In 2017, he helped settle a pay dispute between an airline and a flight attendant union.

Other Activities

Klaus Wowereit has been involved with several organizations:

• He was the Chairman of the Supervisory Board for Berlin Schönefeld Airport.
• He is a member of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
• He was Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Berlin Central and Regional Library.
• He was Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the 2011 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

Personal Life

Klaus Wowereit is the youngest of five children. He grew up without his father. His brother helped him with his studies. Later, Klaus Wowereit cared for his brother, who was paralyzed, and his mother, who had cancer.

Klaus Wowereit is known as one of the first openly gay German politicians. Before the 2001 mayoral elections, he famously said, "Ich bin schwul, und das ist auch gut so." This means "I'm gay, and that's a good thing." He said this to prevent newspapers from writing sensational stories about his private life. When he said it, people were surprised, then cheered and applauded to support him.

In 2010, he told Time that being open about his identity might have even helped his election campaign. His election made Berlin one of the first major European cities with an openly gay mayor.

In September 2007, Wowereit published a book about his life. It was titled "...und das ist auch gut so."

His partner, Jörn Kubicki, was a brain surgeon. They were together from 1993 until Kubicki passed away in March 2020.

Awards and Honors

• 2001: Ix-Xirka Ġieħ ir-Repubblika (an award from Malta)
• 2004: Honorary member of Reichsbanners Schwarz-Rot-Gold
• 2011: Grand Cross with Star and Sash of Germany (a high German award)

See also

In Spanish: Klaus Wowereit para niños

• List of LGBT heads of government
• Timeline of Berlin, 2000s–2010s
• List of people from Berlin