Karl Rowold
Heinrich Wilhelm Richard Karl Rowold (born August 12, 1911 in Oker ; † April 17, 1993 in Copenhagen ) was a German resistance fighter and diplomat . From 1970 to 1974 he was Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Reykjavík .
Life
The son of a metallurgical worker began an administration apprenticeship in 1925, which he completed in 1928 with the assistant examination. He then worked as a warehouse clerk at the consumer cooperative in Goslar . He joined the SPD in 1928 , joined the SAJ Oker and was a member of the state board of the SAJ Braunschweig. He also worked in the Jungbanner , which he chaired in the Wolfenbüttel district from 1929 to 1933.
After the National Socialists came to power , Rowold was dismissed from the consumer cooperative for political reasons in February 1933. After that he worked as co-editor of the illegal magazine Roter Harzbote and as a courier for a Hamburg resistance group. From May to June 1933 he was imprisoned in Wolfenbüttel prison. Five months later, with the support of the Matteotti Committee, he managed to escape to Bornholm , where he subsequently worked as a language teacher and guide. In 1940 he was expatriated by the German authorities. Rowold lived in Copenhagen from 1943 and, in addition to his professional activity, gave lectures on Danish workers' education. In 1944 he went to Sweden , where he worked as a freelancer for the social democratic press. During the Second World War he looked after German refugees from the Baltic States and at the same time maintained contacts with the Danish resistance .
After the end of the war, Rowold returned to Denmark, where from 1945 to 1950 he was first secretary for educational and cultural work at the administration for German refugees. He also acted as secretary of the SPD national group Denmark, whose chair he took over in 1947. He also worked as a correspondent for German newspapers and as an employee for the party newspaper Social Democrats of the Danish Social Democrats . In 1946 he helped found the Sonnenberg district in his home country.
Rowold entered the diplomatic service in 1950 and worked in various countries as a social, press and cultural officer. From 1955 to 1958 he was counselor at the Foreign Office in Bonn . From 1970 until his retirement in 1974, he took over the management of the German embassy in Reykjavík ( Iceland ) as ambassador . He was also chairman of the Danish-German Society (Dansk-Tysk Selskab).
Karl Rowold had been married to the Dane Ragnhild (1907-1993) since 1937 and had a son. He spent his twilight years in Copenhagen with his wife.
Honors
- 1956: Knight's Cross of the Danish Order of Dannebrog
- 1957: Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
- 1963: Knight's Cross of the Icelandic Order of Falcons
- 1969: Cross of Merit 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 1970: Swedish Commander's Cross with a star
- 1974: Grand Cross on the shoulder ribbon of the Icelandic Order of Falcons
literature
- Werner Röder, Herbert A. Strauss (Hrsg.): Biographical manual of German-speaking emigration after 1933. Vol. 1: Politics, economy, public life. Munich, Saur 1980, p. 623.
Individual evidence
- ^ Danes of German descent and Germans in Copenhagen. Retrieved January 17, 2016 .
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Henning Thomsen |
Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Reykjavík 1970–1974 |
Raimund Hergt |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Rowold, Karl |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Rowold, Heinrich Wilhelm Richard Karl (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German resistance fighter and diplomat |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 12, 1911 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Oker |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 17, 1993 |
| Place of death | Copenhagen |