Manfred Stolpe

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Manfred Stolpe (2015)

Manfred Stolpe (born May 16, 1936 in Stettin ; † December 29, 2019 in Potsdam ) was a German church lawyer and politician ( SPD ). From 1990 to 2002 he was Prime Minister of the State of Brandenburg and from 2002 to 2005 Federal Minister for Transport, Building and Housing .

education

1945 with his parents from Szczecin to Greifswald fled Stolpe began after graduating from high school in 1955 there followed a degree in Law at the University of Jena , which he in 1959 with the completion of a graduate lawyer ended. From 1959 until the Wall was built in 1961, he was a visiting student at the Free University of Berlin .

Church career

After his ecclesiastical attitude had already been noticed in Jena together with fellow students and there was no prospect of being accepted into the civil service, Stolpe worked for the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg from 1959 to 1969, from 1962 as head of the office of the Evangelical Church Administration in the GDR , from 1963 to 1966 also advisor to the Superintendent General Günter Jacob from Lausitz-Neumark . From 1969 to 1981 he was head of the secretariat of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in the GDR . From January 1982 he was Consistorial President of the Eastern Region of the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg . From 1982 to 1989 he was also deputy chairman of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in the GDR.

During his time as a church lawyer, he acted as a kind of church diplomat towards various government agencies and officials in the GDR. Informal contacts between church and state that did not officially exist through him ran through him. Stolpe's task and goal was to expand the space for the development of church life in the socialist state, which defines itself as atheist , in small but continuous steps and to help people who were exposed to state repression because of their Christian convictions - among other things by participating in the (secret) ransom program for political prisoners. The secret nature of his missions, just the fact that he had access to such conversations with the party and state apparatus, later raised public questions about a possible activity for the Ministry of State Security , which he denied himself, although this in turn was an unofficial employee led. The accusation raised in the public discussion of the post-reunification period that Stolpe may have served the state more than the church is clearly and unequivocally denied by the church. On the occasion of his death, Christian Stäblein , Bishop of the Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (EKBO), rather declared: “He always had people in view; he has always worked for the good of the people. His services to the Evangelical Church cannot be valued highly enough. "

Public offices after the fall of the Wall

Stolpe (left) in the 1990 state election campaign in Nauen (center: Walter Momper )

From November 1, 1990 to June 26, 2002 he was Prime Minister of the State of Brandenburg. As a member of the state parliament, he also represented the constituency of Cottbus with a direct mandate. In the summer of 2002 he resigned as Prime Minister in favor of Matthias Platzeck . One of the reasons for his resignation was the crisis of the grand coalition in Brandenburg following a vote in the Federal Council on the immigration law : Stolpe had voted “yes”, while the deputy prime minister and interior minister Jörg Schönbohm ( CDU ) voted “no”. Federal Council President Klaus Wowereit (SPD) saw the inconsistent vote as approval. This decision was annulled by the Federal Constitutional Court six months after Stolpe's resignation as Prime Minister as it was against the constitution. Stolpe bequeathed to the state the investment ruins Cargolifter and Chipfabrik Frankfurt (Oder) , which were funded with considerable state funds and ultimately failed, as well as the uneconomical EuroSpeedway Lausitz .

After the federal election in 2002 , he was appointed Federal Minister for Transport, Building and Housing on October 22, 2002 in the federal government led by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder . In his position as Federal Minister of Transport, Manfred Stolpe's name is closely linked to the unsuccessful attempt to introduce a truck toll in Germany on August 31, 2003. The controversial contracts had been negotiated and signed by his predecessor Kurt Bodewig . Stolpe was accused from several sides of incomprehensibly lenient behavior towards the contractual partner Toll Collect . In connection with the failed introduction of the toll and the unforeseen loss of billions for state finances, the CDU demanded his resignation as Federal Minister from autumn 2003.

The Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2003 for the period 2001 to 2015, which was approved during his term of office, bears his signature (he was convinced of the EU-East integration) and is shaped by the EU enlargement in 2004 : for the first time, the development of East-West traffic axes and axes moved forward. - Main routes to the Czech Republic and Poland in the focus of the planning.

The German business press rated the Urban Redevelopment West program that he initiated in 2004 as largely positive . It enables shrinking municipalities to redesign and demolish entire urban areas in order to prevent slum formation .

After the 2005 Bundestag election - which led to a change of government and a grand coalition - Stolpe left office on November 22, 2005. His successor as Minister of Transport was Wolfgang Tiefensee (SPD).

Stolpe belonged to the Brandenburg Cathedral Chapter . He was also a member of the steering committee of the German-Russian Petersburg Dialogue .

Political

Contacts with the Ministry of State Security

During his work in the church leadership in the GDR, Stolpe had regular contacts with the Ministry for State Security . By his own admission, all of these contacts were in the interests and interests of the church members; Critics, on the other hand, say that he betrayed internal church matters and information from the GDR opposition. Opposition circles in the GDR were convinced that Stolpe was working with the Stasi. They associated the realization of exit applications with his name. His activities were and are controversial. Some allegations are considered baseless. Critics say that he certainly received the GDR's Medal of Merit in 1978 in a conspiratorial apartment owned by the State Security "not without reason" .

During his tenure as Prime Minister of Brandenburg there was a legal dispute with the Gauck authorities . The Berlin Administrative Court decided on 3 June 1993 that Joachim Gauck must not longer maintain Stolpe is an important unofficial member of the East German state security have been. In contrast, the court rejected Stolpe's request to forbid Gauck from all previously judgmental statements about Stolpe.

A parliamentary committee of inquiry in the state of Brandenburg came to the conclusion in 1994 that Stolpe had not been a contributor to the state security, but had been viewed by the state as an equal negotiating partner. He had harmed neither people nor the church.

The Birthler authority put 2003 over 1200-page dossier to Manfred Stolpe aka IM "secretary" in front. This was the first time she addressed the documents relating to an incumbent federal minister.

The Federal Constitutional Court (Az .: 1 BvR 1696/98) ruled in October 2005 in the context of a reversal of a ruling by the Federal Court of Justice from 1998 that the designation of Stolpe as a former Stasi employee or " unofficial employee " was not permitted. However, the Stasi records authority immediately pointed out that the judgment only referred to “a statement in the political dispute” and reaffirmed that Stolpe - as was determined in an expert opinion from 1992 - regardless of the fact whether he was ever considered Employees had been recruited as IM "secretary" and for 20 years as "an important IM in the area of ​​the Evangelical Church of the GDR" had been listed in the files of the State Security. Later finds, most recently in 2003, would have further substantiated this assessment. According to his own statement, Manfred Stolpe did not knowingly harm anyone through his contacts with the Stasi.

In 2011, an expert opinion prepared for the Brandenburg Landtag commission of inquiry came to the conclusion that Stolpe had been an important IM of the Stasi and that between 1990 and 1994 he should have received a request to resign from his Landtag mandate whether he had contacts with the Stasi. However, this point of view was discussed controversially at the meeting of the study commission and partially rejected.

SPD

Stolpe had been a member of the SPD since 1990. From 1991 to 2002 he was a member of the SPD party executive .

Honors

Private

Manfred Stolpe had been married to the doctor Ingrid Stolpe (* 1938), who practiced in Potsdam from 1965 to 2003, since 1961. They had a daughter (* 1968).

In April 2009 it became known that Stolpe had already developed colon cancer in 2004 during his tenure as Federal Minister for Transport . In 2008 he had to undergo another operation because of metastases in the liver . Ingrid Stolpe developed breast cancer in 2008 . The Stolpes spoke openly about their cancers on the show Menschen bei Maischberger (Das Erste) in April 2009 and also wrote a book about it.

Manfred Stolpe died on 29 December 2019 at the age of 83 years to cancer . He was buried in the Bornstedter Friedhof in Potsdam.

Stolpe was a long-term board member of the FC Flick Foundation against xenophobia, racism and intolerance .

See also

Works

  • Giving people hope. Speeches, essays, interviews from twelve years. Wichern-Verlag, Berlin 1991, ISBN 3-88981-051-9 .
  • Difficult departure. Wolf Jobst Siedler Verlag, Berlin 1992, ISBN 3-88680-435-6 ; Later as Siedler Buch Goldmann 12847, Munich 1993, ISBN 3-442-12847-1 .
  • Dare to democracy - departure in Brandenburg. Speeches, articles, interviews 1990–1993. With a contribution by Iring Fetscher and a foreword by Regine Hildebrandt . Schüren Presseverlag, Berlin 1994, ISBN 3-89472-096-4 .
  • Seven years, seven bridges. A look back into the future. Wolf Jobst Siedler Verlag, Berlin 1997, ISBN 3-88680-626-X .
  • Ingrid and Manfred Stolpe: “We still have so much to do”. Our common fight against cancer. (With Silke Amthor). Ullstein, Berlin 2011, ISBN 978-3-548-37395-9 .

literature

  • Helmut Müller-Enbergs :  Stolpe, Manfred . In: Who was who in the GDR? 5th edition. Volume 2. Ch. Links, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86153-561-4 .
  • Ehrhart Neubert : Investigation into the allegations against the Prime Minister of Brandenburg Dr. Manfred Stolpe on behalf of the BÜNDNIS parliamentary group in the Brandenburg state parliament. Berlin 1993.
  • Heinrich Böll Foundation (Ed.): Final report of the Stolpe investigation committee (made legible by Ehrhart Neubert, with a foreword by Viktor Böll ). Heinrich Böll Foundation V., Cologne 1994, ISBN 3-927760-23-4 .
  • Wolfgang Brinkschulte, Hans Jörgen Gerlach & Thomas Heise: Independent buyers. The co-earners in the west. Ullstein Report, Frankfurt / M. & Berlin 1993, ISBN 3-548-36611-2 .
  • Sabine Gries & Dieter Voigt: Manfred Stolpe in personal reports. A critical examination of publications, writings and speeches from the years 1972 to 1990. Ullstein Verlag, Frankfurt / M. & Berlin 1993, ISBN 3-548-36621-X .
  • Andreas Morgenstern: Manfred Stolpe. In: Chancellor and Minister. Biographical Lexicon of the German Federal Governments. Edited by Udo Kempf / Hans-Georg Merz, VS-Verlag, Wiesbaden 2008, ISBN 978-3-531-14605-8 .
  • Ralf Georg Reuth : IM "Secretary". The "Gauck research" and the documents on the "Stolpe case". Ullstein Report, Frankfurt / M. & Berlin 1992 (2nd edition), ISBN 3-548-36604-X .
  • Klaus Roßberg: The cross with the cross. A life between state security and the church. (Recorded by Peter Richter). Edition Ost, Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-929161-60-5 .
  • Reymar von Wedel: As a lawyer between East and West. Processes - prisoners - actions. With a foreword by Jürgen Schmude . Verlag am Park, Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-89793-102-8 .
  • Freya Klier : The Stolpe legend continues to grow. In this: penetrating relatives. Comments, essays, essays. Ullstein, Frankfurt 1996, ISBN 3-548-33212-9 , pp. 237-239; abridged from: DIE WELT April 4, 1995.

further reading

Web links

Commons : Manfred Stolpe  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b The State Chancellery of Brandenburg: Press release - Brandenburg mourns Manfred Stolpe. Accessed December 30, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Manfred Suttinger (Red.): Manfred Stolpe: The human being in the center - film on RBB television. December 30, 2019, accessed January 23, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg RBB (Hrsg.): Chronicle-Biography: Manfred Stolpe
  4. ^ Bishop Christian Stäblein pays tribute to Manfred Stolpe. Evangelical Church Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia, December 30, 2019, accessed on January 23, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Hans Michael Kloth: The man who over-excited ; Article in Spiegel-Online from February 17, 2004: “Manfred Stolpe's time as minister has probably come to an end with the big bang when it comes to tolls. To be shot will be a whole new feeling for the climber who always conjures up the feeling of togetherness in the humming bass. So far it has only ever gone up for him, although he mostly left chaos and debt. "
  6. ^ Document: Stolpe's letter of termination in full ; Published by Spiegel-Online on February 17, 2004.
  7. ^ Detlef Robert Peters: Stolpe and CDU on the truck toll - Union calls for the dismissal of Stolpe ; Article on BerlinKontor.de from September 17, 2003.
  8. ↑ Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development: Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2003 ( Memento from August 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  9. ↑ Stolpe gives the go-ahead for the new "Urban Redevelopment West" program. July 20, 2004, accessed June 26, 2018 .
  10. ^ The members of the cathedral chapter. Retrieved June 26, 2018 .
  11. ^ "Official on hold" . In: Der Spiegel , March 13, 1995
  12. ↑ Stefan Berg: Files instead of words . In: Der Spiegel . No. 51 , 2003, p. 46 ( Online - Dec. 15, 2003 ).
  13. ↑ Opinion burdens Stolpe ; Article in the Märkische Oderzeitung from June 10, 2011; Accessed June 14, 2011.
  14. ^ A b Sandra Dassler: Manfred Stolpe: In the duty of German-German history ; Article in the period of 16 July 2011. "The Stasi and he always had a suspicious relationship. Now Manfred Stolpe has to deal with being at the center of a heated debate again. "
  15. ↑ Minutes of the study commission, 11th meeting on June 24, 2011
  16. ↑ Manfred Stolpe receives European Culture Prize. February 1, 2012, accessed June 26, 2018 .
  17. ↑ Manfred Stolpe honored with the German Internal Unity Award. Retrieved September 18, 2019 .
  18. ↑ Thorsten Metzner: Ingrid Stolpe is retiring - she will not be retiring. In: Der Tagesspiegel . July 16, 2003, accessed January 19, 2020 .
  19. ↑ Ex-Prime Minister Manfred Stolpe is dead - mourning for the "father of modern Brandenburg". In: Münchner Merkur . December 30, 2019, accessed December 31, 2019 .
  20. ↑ Klaus Nerger: The grave of Manfred Stolpe. In: knerger.de. Retrieved March 29, 2020 .
  21. ↑ FC Flick Foundation: Obituary Manfred Stolpe , FAZ from January 4, 2020
personal data
SURNAME Stolpe, Manfred
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German politician (SPD), MdL
DATE OF BIRTH May 16, 1936
PLACE OF BIRTH Szczecin
DATE OF DEATH 29th December 2019
Place of death Potsdam