Karl Keßner

Karl Keßner (born September 27, 1924 in Löbau ; † October 15, 2014 ibid) was a German flexographer , master of the stamp trade and entrepreneur . Since June 22, 2001 he has been an honorary citizen of the city of Löbau.

Life

Keßner was born on September 27, 1924 as the son of a book printer owner in Löbau. In 1942 he passed a secondary school diploma in his hometown and, after training as a flexographer , was drafted into military service during the Second World War . From this he returned seriously wounded in 1946 after a year as a prisoner of war . He was refused a degree and so in 1947 he took over the Schmorrde-Keßner family business in Löbau , which he managed as managing director until 1989 . In the German Democratic Republic , Keßner was mainly responsible for the master craftsman and journeyman training in his craft and headed the stampmakers' guild in the country.

At the same time, Keßner also participated socio-politically. He criticized the invasion of the Warsaw Pact troops in the ČSSR and took part in the Monday demonstrations in the GDR in Leipzig in 1989/1990 and the occupation of the Stasi district office in Löbau. After handing over the management to his son Reinhart, Keßner continued to be active in the socio-political area. In 1990 he campaigned for the re-establishment of the Free State of Saxony , was in the course of the district reform of Saxony in 1994/1996 for the establishment of a district bearing the name Löbau-Zittau , and in his hometown Löbau promoted the historically correct renaming of streets and places is carried out, and participated in the Kuratorium Some Oberlausitz . He was also involved in the Protestant church . On the occasion of his 75th birthday, he set up a museum in the Löbauer "House of Stamps" - Rudolf Schmorrde .

In 1990 Karl Keßner was named "Honorary Master" of the stamp trade, in 1993 he received an invitation to the New Year's reception from Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker for his services to the trade . In 1999 he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by Johannes Rau . In 2001 he was made an honorary citizen by the city of Löbau on the occasion of the 780th anniversary celebration. He was the first to receive this award after more than 50 years without being awarded. On June 1, 2013, the President of the Saxon State Parliament , Matthias Rößler , awarded him the Saxon Constitutional Medal .

Keßner died on October 15, 2014 at the age of 90 in the house where he was born on Löbauer Sachsenstrasse . The city of Löbau planted a linden tree in his honor in the so-called "Bürgerwäldchen" on the grounds of the State Horticultural Show 2012 and paid tribute to its honorary citizen in an obituary with the words:

“He was a son of our city. Karl Keßner left a lot of traces in this world. His work for the preservation of the handicraft branch of the stamp maker, his struggle for the development of his hometown Löbau as well as his commitment in the times of the change and for some of his Upper Lusatia will let honorary citizen Karl Keßner live on in the hearts of many people. We will always remember him with honor. "

- City of Löbau : City journal, official gazette of the large district town of Löbau; 11/2014; P. 1

literature

• An "old master" celebrates his birthday . Karl Keßner is 85 years old. In: Innovation and Technology . No. 9/2009 , 2009, p. 46 ( schmorrde.de [PDF; 1.1 MB ; accessed on March 30, 2018]).
• Gabriel Wandt: The “Löbau conscience” has fallen silent . In: Saxon newspaper . October 22, 2014, p. 15 ( schmorrde.de [PDF; 679 kB ; accessed on March 30, 2018]).
• Löbau mourns the loss of honorary citizen Karl Keßner . In: Stadtjournal, Official Gazette of the large district town of Löbau . No. 11/2014 , 2014, p. 1 ( loebau.de [PDF; 4.4 MB ; accessed on March 30, 2018]).
• Gabriel Wandt: Linde is reminiscent of Karl Keßner . In: Saxon newspaper . November 20, 2014 ( schmorrde.de [PDF; 1.9 MB ; accessed on March 30, 2018]).