Confidant of the former chancellor - Kohl's former office manager Juliane Weber is dead
Juliane Weber, the long-time office manager of Helmut Kohl (CDU), died in Bonn on Saturday at the age of 84. The federal CDU in Berlin confirmed a corresponding report in the "Bild" newspaper on Wednesday. Weber was long considered a close confidante of former Chancellor Kohl, who died in 2017.
Weber had been in charge of Kohl's personal office for decades and accompanied him loyally and discreetly through many stages - from the state parliament in Mainz to the then Chancellery in Bonn. After Kohl became an ordinary member of the Bundestag following the 1998 general election, she followed him to Berlin. "There are only two people who know everything about me," Helmut Kohl is reported to have once said. "My wife and Juliane."
Juliane Weber was as power-conscious as her boss
Even in Kohl's day, there was not much concrete information about the native of Lower Saxony. According to a portrait of Weber at the time, her passion for elephants made of glass, stone and precious metal, which adorned her desk, was well known. Nobody who wanted to talk to Kohl could get past her, it was said again and again. Juliane Weber was regarded as the strong woman in the background, loyal to the point of self-abandonment, but as power-conscious as Kohl himself. In a newspaper interview, she once said: "The worst thing in my life would be not to take part."
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Juliane Weber's passing was reported in the "picture newspaper" in Berlin, highlighting her significant role in former Chancellor Helmut Kohl's career in politics. Despite her position in Bonn, Weber moved to Berlin with Kohl after his election to the Bundestag in 1998. Kai Diekmann, a well-known journalist, once mentioned that Weber was one of the two individuals who knew everything about Kohl, alongside his wife.
Despite her discretion and loyalty, Juliane Weber was known for being as power-conscious as Kohl himself. She held a strong position behind the scenes and was considered indispensable by many. Her reputation also included a passion for collecting elephant figurines made of glass, stone, and precious metals.
Source: www.stern.de
