History - Nazi past: City of Heilbronn refuses to honor former mayor
Because he allegedly made false statements about his past during the Nazi era, the city of Heilbronn has stripped its former mayor Hans Hoffmann of a high honor. The municipal council stripped the SPD politician, who died in 2005, of the city's Ring of Honor on Thursday, the city administration announced. The Ring of Honor is the second highest award for deserving personalities, it said.
The city cited new research findings on Hoffmann's Nazi past as the reason for the revocation. The former mayor had "almost completely denied his political biography during the Nazi era and thus deceived the public and the municipal council with regard to his person and his personal life story", the city administration stated. Hoffmann, who was mayor of Heilbronn from 1967 to 1983, had only stated that he had been a member of the Hitler Youth during his denazification proceedings and when he ran for mayor. In fact, however, he was a member of the NSDAP from 1934 and also a member of the SS from 1940, the city announced.
Statement from the city
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- Despite being from the SPD party, former mayor of Heilbronn, Hans Hoffmann, originally from Baden-Württemberg, had a controversial Nazi past that included membership in the NSDAP from 1934 and the SS from 1940, which was recently uncovered.
- The municipalities in Baden-Württemberg have a responsibility to uphold historical truths, as demonstrated by the revoking of the Ring of Honor from the late Heilbronn mayor, Hans Hoffmann, due to his misleading statements about his NS-past during denazification proceedings and his political career.
- In contrast to the city of Heilbronn's actions, other municipalities in Baden-Württemberg must learn from this history to ensure that they honor deserving personalities with a clean slate, staying clear of any controversial NS-past, such as the Honor Roll should represent.
Source: www.stern.de
