Ludwig Ratzel
Ludwig Ratzel (* 13. February 1915 in Friedrichsfeld , † 5. February 1996 in Mannheim ) was a German politician of the SPD .
Life and work
After studying natural sciences from 1935 to 1940, which he completed with a doctorate in nuclear physics, Ratzel was employed as a scientist at the Rechlin test center of the Luftwaffe in Mecklenburg during World War II . In 1947 he returned to Mannheim and found a job as a lecturer (later rector) at the municipal engineering school .
politics
Ratzel was a member of the German Bundestag from September 15, 1955, when he replaced Wilhelm Traub , until June 21, 1960, when he resigned in favor of the office of First Mayor of Mannheim . From March 23, 1956 to 1957 he was deputy chairman of the Bundestag committee for nuclear issues. From February 27, 1958 to November 6, 1959, he was also in the European Parliament .
In 1959, Ratzel was elected First Mayor of his hometown Mannheim , with responsibility for housing, energy and transport. In 1972 he became Lord Mayor of Mannheim. After the end of his eight-year term in 1980, he retired.
Appreciation of political activity
Throughout Ludwig Ratzel's entire political career, his scientific background played a major role, especially for his commitment to energy policy. He appeared as the author of the Euratom report. In Mannheim he was responsible for the construction of the Mannheim oil refinery on Friesenheim Island . He advocated the use and expansion of district heating based on the principle of combined heat and power in connection with the construction of a waste incineration plant and the expansion of the large power plant . Together with Stuttgart and other municipalities in Baden-Württemberg , he was committed to establishing an independent gas supply for southern Germany. He also planned a nuclear power plant on the Mannheim district in Kirschgartshausen , but it was not built.
His responsibility for the Mannheim housing sector has also left clearly visible marks in the city to this day. Due to the great housing shortage after the Second World War, remedial measures had to be found quickly. The residential areas of Waldhof-Ost , Herzogenried , the satellite town of Vogelstang and the development on the banks of the Neckar go back to Ratzel's work.
One of the highlights of the mayor's period was the hosting of the Federal Horticultural Show in 1975 . The then redesigned park areas Herzogenriedpark and Luisenpark (with telecommunications tower ) are still the green lungs of Mannheim today. The specially built Aerobus suspension railway , which connected the two parks, was not able to assert itself beyond the Federal Horticultural Show.
Honors
Ludwig Ratzel received numerous awards for his life's work, such as the Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1977 and the appointment of Commander of the British Empire in 1980 . The city of Mannheim made him honorary citizen in 1980 and named a street after him after his death in 1996. In 1981 he was awarded the Baden-Württemberg Medal of Merit .
literature
- Ludwig Ratzel: memories. Conversations (= sources and representations on Mannheim city history. Vol. 1). Managed and edited by Walter Spannagel. Published by the Mannheimer Versorgungs- und Verkehrsgesellschaft (MVV) and the Mannheim City Archives. Thorbecke, Sigmaringen 1993, ISBN 3-7995-0900-3 .
See also
Web links
- Literature by and about Ludwig Ratzel in the catalog of the German National Library
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ratzel, Ludwig |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German politician (SPD), Member of the Bundestag, MEP |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 13, 1915 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Friedrichsfeld |
| DATE OF DEATH | 5th February 1996 |
| Place of death | Mannheim |