Franz-Josef Antwerpes

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Franz-Josef Antwerpes [ ˈant.vɛa̯.pəs ] (born November 27, 1934 in Viersen ) is a former German politician ( SPD ). From 1970 to 1978 he was a member of the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia and then until 1999 regional president of the Cologne administrative district .

Life

Antwerpes comes from a family of bakers, but on the advice of his father did not continue the family tradition and instead studied economics, in which he also received his doctorate.

At the age of 21 he joined the SPD and held various leading municipal offices, including head of the planning staff of the city of Duisburg from 1962 to 1975 . From 1970 to 1978 he sat for his party in the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia .

He was married to Elfi Scho-Antwerpes from 1983 to 2003 and has four children. His great-nephew Michael (* 1963) is a journalist.

District President of the Cologne District

In 1978 he was appointed district president in Cologne. In this office, due to his very self-confident character and numerous controversial decisions, he gained a national fame that was unusual for the office, as well as the nickname " Elector of Cologne".

One of Antwerp's main concerns was road safety, in particular the fight against drink-driving and excessive speed, often against the opposition of the population and associations. On weekends, for example, he was often to be found at traffic controls on the highways of the administrative district, where he waved motorists off the lane with his own hand. He enforced a speed limit of 100 km / h on the Cologne motorway ring and closed the A4 Cologne-Aachen motorway in heavy fog in 1987 , after serious road accidents with 20 deaths occurred on the motorways in the Cologne administrative district between the beginning of 1985 and February 1987 due to fog was. This brought him protests up to the Federal Minister of Transport , but Antwerpes found that thanks to its full closure, there was “not even a bump”. Even during the carnival he was still active in traffic education: at the end of a hand-made speech , he waved an alcohol test device and said goodbye by saying that they would meet later on the street.

Cologne City Museum with a wing car from HA Schult

When the action artist HA Schult placed his sculpture The Golden Bird on the tower of the historic armory used by the Cologne City Museum - in the immediate vicinity of the regional council - as part of the Fetisch Auto campaign , Antwerpes demanded the removal in order to protect the building. His involvement in the matter caused quite a stir in the local press, but failed due to an exemption from the responsible ministry.

He denied the Cologne Cathedral Chapter the exemption under funeral law to continue to bury deceased canons in the cathedral.

He attracted a lot of media attention in 1996 through his dispute with the Kelly Family : On the one hand, he claimed that the members of the family who were living on a houseboat in Cologne harbor at that time were not properly registered in Cologne and the city was therefore receiving tax income On the other hand, he tried to get the then fourteen-year-old Angelo Kelly to attend a public school. In both cases Antwerpes had to backtrack: After the intervention of the family's lawyers, he had the family's lawyers explain to the allegations regarding the reporting and tax obligations that his authority had “no information” in this matter and that it “not even remotely” affected his jurisdiction. With regard to the compulsory schooling of Kelly's son Angelo, he had apparently overlooked the fact that his own authority had already given its written consent to the premature end of compulsory schooling a month before his media intervention.

In connection with the dispute with the Kelly family, Antwerpes announced its motto “argue instead of sliding” and that it doesn't bother him if he makes himself unpopular. To the accusation that he interfered in everything just to get into the media, he replied: “Nonsense! The issues come to me like a child to a virgin. ”In addition, he sees himself“ as an ombudsman for the common people who represents the law and not an amigo system. ”He did not deny being vain. He sometimes reacted rather angrily to critical publications. When Werner Rügemer , who was active in the journalistic appraisal of the Cologne clique and who had criticized Antwerp for approving and awarding contracts for the Cologne waste incineration plant and the canal project "Vorfluter Süd", even held a "clique tour" in front of Antwerp's apartment, he cursed him who as a liar and initially threatened a lawsuit. However, neither of the two went to court. An increase in the extremely low rent of Antwerp's official apartment in Cologne-Lindenthal ( Max-Bruch-Straße 8 ), which was used from 1980 onwards, by the State Finance Ministry due to a complaint by the State Audit Office, failed due to a lack of rental value appraisal. He refused to buy the apartment at a price determined by an independent appraisal; in the event that the property was sold to a third party, he would have had ten years protection against dismissal.

In 1981 Antwerpes planted a few vines in front of his official residence , the wine of which he later jokingly referred to as "Klein-Kölnhausener Zuckerberg". This was sold or auctioned for the benefit of non-profit organizations. The completely inedible vintage 1988 was sold for 300 marks per bottle, although it was, according to Antwerpes' words, the "worst wine of all time". After leaving office, he continued to tend the vines until 2004.

In 1998, Antwerpes was personally awarded the Order of Friendship by Fidel Castro for organizing medical aid transports to Cuba . During several vacations, Antwerpes maintained personal contact with Castro and his ministers.

In 1999 he retired as Cologne's longest-serving district president .

After leaving office

From 1999 to 2001 he hosted the program Amado and Antwerpes - the talk show for connoisseurs - together with Marijke Amado on WDR television . In the 2005/06 season he took on the role of Hans Styx in Konrad Beikircher's new version of the Offenbach play Orpheus in der Unterwelt at the Cologne Opera , where he was to list some of his well-known official acts on stage. When the audience reacted negatively in some cases, he sought “as insulted as it was instructive the discussion with the audience”, which led to further protests.

In 2016 Antwerpes was honored with the badge of honor in Altenberger Hof in Cologne-Nippes for 60 years of party membership in the SPD.

Antwerpes is the author of a number of books, mainly about his life and work as Cologne's district president.

On July 1, 2020, he was awarded the Order of Merit of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia .

Books

  • 1997: Answers to questions not asked. Wienand Verlag, Cologne, ISBN 3-87909-536-1 .
  • 1998: Solutions to nonexistent problems. Wienand Verlag, Cologne, ISBN 3-87909-618-X .
  • 1999: Between all stools. Untamed memories of a district president. Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Cologne, ISBN 3-462-02829-4 .
  • 2000: “Dear asshole!” Letters to the district president. Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Cologne, ISBN 3-462-03502-9 .
  • 2001: Enjoy mercilessly ... - Antwerpes' Cologne gastro guide. Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Cologne, ISBN 3-462-03509-6 .
  • 2002: Lies have long legs. Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Cologne, ISBN 3-462-03526-6 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Elector in the Rhineland. ZEIT dated May 1, 1987, accessed April 22, 2019.
  2. ^ District President Antwerpes: 22 years Elector of Cologne EXPRESS from January 20, 2014. Accessed April 22, 2019.
  3. ↑ Some of them could do 140 things . Der Spiegel 52/1987 of December 21, 1987, pp. 30-31.
  4. ↑ a b c d Peter W. Fischer: Antwerpes is retiring . In: Spiegel Online , September 30, 1999.
  5. ↑ Antwerpes vs. Kelly Focus Magazine No. 15, April 6, 1996, accessed November 10, 2018
  6. ↑ The Highlander from the Rhine - There can only be one: One man's fight against the Kelly Family . ( Memento from July 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Hamburger Abendblatt , April 4, 1996, p. 28.
  7. ↑ Interview with Antwerpes at the BR-alpha broadcaster (PDF file; 50 kB)
  8. ^ Karl-Heinz Steinkühler: Nice and cheap living on the Rhine . Focus 25/1998.
  9. ↑ Last harvest on Cologne's only vineyard. Aachener Zeitung of October 19, 2004, accessed on April 22, 2019.
  10. ↑ Amado and Antwerpes . fernsehserien.de, accessed on July 28, 2016.
  11. ↑ Stefan Schmöe: At the carnival, fun stops for Cologne residents . Online Music Magazine (OMM), 2005; for the premiere on October 20, 2005.
  12. ↑ Prime Minister Armin Laschet awards the State Order of Merit to ten citizens. State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia , July 1, 2020, accessed on July 1, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Antwerpes, Franz-Josef
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German politician (SPD), Member of the State Parliament, District President
DATE OF BIRTH November 27, 1934
PLACE OF BIRTH Viersen