Manfred Stolpe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Manfred Stolpe
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Stolpe in 2005
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| Minister for Transport, Building and Housing | |
| In office 22 October 2002 – 22 November 2005 |
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| Chancellor | Gerhard Schröder |
| Preceded by | Kurt Bodewig |
| Succeeded by | Wolfgang Tiefensee (Transport, Building and Urban Development) |
| Minister-President of Brandenburg | |
| In office 1 November 1990 – 26 June 2002 |
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| Deputy | Alwin Ziel Jörg Schönbohm |
| Preceded by | Jochen Wolf (as Landesbevollmächtigter) |
| Succeeded by | Matthias Platzeck |
| Member of the Landtag of Brandenburg for Cottbus |
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| In office 11 October 1994 – 11 November 2002 |
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| Preceded by | Dyrck Schneidenbach |
| Succeeded by | Britta Stark |
| Constituency | Cottbus II |
| In office 26 October 1990 – 11 October 1994 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Heidemarie Konzack |
| Constituency | Cottbus I |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 May 1936 Stettin, Pomerania, Nazi Germany (now Szczecin, Poland) |
| Died | 29 December 2019 (aged 83) Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany |
| Resting place | Bornstedt Cemetery, Potsdam |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party (1990–2019) |
| Spouses |
Ingrid Stolpe
(m. 1961; div. 2003) |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Jena |
| Occupation |
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Manfred Stolpe (born May 16, 1936 – died December 29, 2019) was an important German politician. He served as the Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs for Germany from 2002 to 2005. Before that, he was the Minister-President (like a state governor) of the German state of Brandenburg from 1990 to 2002.
After Germany was reunified, Stolpe was the only Social Democratic Minister-President in a state that used to be part of East Germany. Many people see him as the person who helped shape modern Brandenburg. He was very popular when he left office. He helped create a new identity for the state, even making the "Brandenburglied" song more popular. Brandenburg has only had Social Democratic Minister-Presidents since his time.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Education
Manfred Stolpe was born in a city called Stettin. This city is now in Poland. He studied law at the University of Jena in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). He studied there from 1955 to 1959.
In 1959, he started working with the Protestant Church in Berlin-Brandenburg. This church covered both East and West Berlin, plus the Brandenburg region. He also studied as a guest at the Free University of Berlin until 1961.
Career in East Germany
From 1962 to 1969, Manfred Stolpe led the Secretariat for the Conference of Governing Bodies of the Evangelical Churches in the GDR. After this, he became the Head of the Secretariat for the Federation of Evangelical Churches (GDR). He held this important role until 1981.
During this time, he was also chosen to be part of the World Council of Churches' "Commission on International Relations." In 1982, Stolpe became the President of the Eastern Region of the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg. He was also one of the two deputy chairmen of the Federation of Evangelical Churches. He left these church positions in 1990 and 1989.
Political Career After Reunification
In July 1990, Manfred Stolpe joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). On October 14 of that year, he was elected to the Brandenburg Landtag (state parliament) for a district in Cottbus. Soon after, on November 1, 1990, he was elected Minister-President of the State of Brandenburg.
He was re-elected twice, even winning a clear majority of seats in the 1994 Brandenburg state election. He served as Minister-President until he stepped down on June 26, 2002. During his time in office, he led an effort to combine Brandenburg and Berlin in 1996. This attempt was not successful, but the two states still work together on many things today. From May 1991 to June 26, 2002, he was also a member of the SPD National Executive committee.
From October 22, 2002, to November 2005, he served as the Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs. This was a big job in the German government.
Personal Life
Manfred Stolpe married Ingrid Stolpe, who is a retired doctor, in 1961. They had one child together. Both Manfred and Ingrid Stolpe received treatment for cancer. They even wrote a book and spoke on television about their experiences.
Awards and Honors
Manfred Stolpe received several honorary doctorates. These are special degrees given to people for their achievements.
- He received an honorary Doctorate in Theology from the University of Greifswald in November 1989.
- He received another honorary Doctorate in Theology from the University of Zurich in April 1991.
- He also received an honorary Doctorate in Economics from the University of Szczecin in June 1996.
