Commemoration - Book of condolences for those mourning Schäuble in Offenburg
Great honor for a much honored man: A book of condolences for CDU politician Wolfgang Schäuble has been available in Offenburg's Salmen, a memorial to democracy, since Thursday. Mourners can express their thoughts about the deceased statesman, who is also an honorary citizen of his home town in Baden. Schäuble died on Tuesday evening at the age of 81 surrounded by his family.
The city had already ordered the mourning flags for its facilities on Wednesday. The flags attached to masts were lowered to half-mast. The balcony of the historic town hall was also draped with a mourning flag.
Mourners can sign the book of condolence during the memorial's opening hours. "The choice of location underlines the importance of Wolfgang Schäuble for the city of Offenburg as well as for the parliamentary and democratic history of recent times," says the city. The time and place of the funeral service and burial are still being coordinated with the family and the German Bundestag.
On September 12, 1847, the "Resolute Friends of the Constitution" around the Baden revolutionaries Gustav Struve and Friedrich Hecker gathered at the Salmen Inn in Offenburg. There, they adopted the "13 Demands of the People" - Germany's first liberal-democratic list of basic rights.
The Jewish community of Offenburg used the building as a synagogue from 1875 to 1938, until it was completely destroyed during the pogrom night in November 1938. The Salmen has been a cultural monument of national importance since 2002. In May 2022, it was reopened as a modern place of experience and remembrance of the history and present of democracy.
Following Schäuble's death, his Stuttgart party colleague Stefan Kaufmann will take his place in the Bundestag. Circles within the parliamentary group confirmed to the German Press Agency on Thursday that the former member of the Bundestag and government commissioner for green hydrogen would accept the mandate. The 54-year-old himself could not initially be reached for comment.
Kaufmann was a member of the Bundestag from 2009 to 2021. He then lost the direct mandate in the Stuttgart I constituency to Cem Özdemir (Greens), who subsequently became Federal Minister of Agriculture. Kaufmann is the first successor on the CDU 's Baden-Württemberg state list. In principle, however, he is free to accept the mandate.
Homepage Kaufmann's memorial Salmen
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Source: www.stern.de
