The following is a list of events from the year 2012 in Germany.

Incumbents

Federal level

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

: **

Christian Wulff Christian Wilhelm Walter Wulff (; born 1959) is a retired German politician and lawyer who served as President of Germany from 2010 to 2012. A member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Christian Democratic Union (CDU), he previously ...

(until 17 February 2012) **

Horst Seehofer Horst Lorenz Seehofer (born 4 July 1949) is a German politician who served as Minister for the Interior, Building and Community under Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2018 to 2021. A member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), he served as the ...

(''Acting''; 17 February – 18 March 2012) **

Joachim Gauck Joachim Wilhelm Gauck (; born 24 January 1940) is a German politician who served as President of Germany from 2012 to 2017. A former Lutheran pastor, he came to prominence as an anti-communist civil rights activist in East Germany. During the P ...

(from 18 March 2012) *

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leade ...

State level

* Minister-President of Baden-Wuerttemberg –

Winfried Kretschmann Winfried Kretschmann (; born 17 May 1948) is a German politician serving as Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg since 2011. A member of the Alliance '90/Greens, he was President of the Bundesrat and ''ex officio'' deputy to the President o ...

* Minister-President of

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

–

* Mayor of

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

–

Klaus Wowereit Klaus Wowereit (born 1 October 1953) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and was the Governing Mayor of Berlin from 21 October 2001 to 11 December 2014. In 2001 state elections his party won a plurality of the votes, 29 ...

* Minister-President of

Brandenburg Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...

–

Matthias Platzeck Matthias Platzeck (born 29 December 1953) is a German politician. He was Minister-President, Minister President of Brandenburg from 2002 to 2013 and party chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, SPD from November 2005 to April 2006. ...

* Mayor of

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

–

Jens Boehrnsen Jens may refer to: * Jens (given name), a list of people with the name * Jens (surname), a list of people * Jens, Switzerland, a municipality * 1719 Jens, an asteroid See also * Jensen (disambiguation) Jensen may refer to: People and fictional ...

* Mayor of

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

–

Olaf Scholz Olaf Scholz (; born 14 June 1958) is a German politician who served as the Chancellor of Germany from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD), he previously served as Vice-Chancellor of Ge ...

* Minister-President of

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

–

Volker Bouffier Volker Bouffier (born 18 December 1951) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who served as Minister President of the German state of Hessen from 31 August 2010 to 31 May 2022. From 1 November 2014 until 31 October 201 ...

* Minister-President of

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV; ; ), also known by its Anglicisation, anglicized name Mecklenburg–Western Pomerania, is a Federated state, state in the north-east of Germany. Of the country's States of Germany, sixteen states, Mecklenburg-Vorpom ...

–

Erwin Sellering Erwin Sellering (born 18 October 1949) is a German politician. He served as the 4th Minister President of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern from 2008 to 2017. Early life and career Sellering studied law and has lived in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since 1994, ...

* Minister-President of

Niedersachsen Lower Saxony is a States of Germany, German state (') in Northern Germany, northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ' of the Germany, Federal Re ...

–

David McAllister David James McAllister (born 12 January 1971) is a German politician who has been a member of the European Parliament since 2014. He is a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), part of the European People's Party. He is the current vi ...

* Minister-President of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...

–

Hannelore Kraft Hannelore Kraft (née Külzhammer, 12 June 1961) is a German politician. She served as the Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia from 2010 until 2017. Kraft was the first woman to serve as head of government of this state and was the thi ...

* Minister-President of

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

–

Kurt Beck Kurt Beck (born 5 February 1949) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), who served as the 7th Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate from 1994 to 2013 and as the 55th President of the Bundesrat in 2000–01. In May 2 ...

* Minister-President of

Saarland Saarland (, ; ) is a state of Germany in the southwest of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and the smallest in ...

–

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (; Kramp; born 9 August 1962), sometimes referred to by her initials of AKK, is a retired German politician who served as Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany), Minister of Defence from 2019 to 2021 and as Leader of th ...

* Minister-President of

Saxony Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...

–

Stanislaw Tillich Stanislaw Rudi Tillich (; , ; born 10 April 1959) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He served as the 3rd Minister President of Saxony from 2008 to 2017. From 1 November 2015 until 31 October 2016, he was Preside ...

* Minister-President of

Saxony-Anhalt Saxony-Anhalt ( ; ) is a States of Germany, state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony, Thuringia and Lower Saxony. It covers an area of and has a population of 2.17 million inhabitants, making it the List of German states ...

–

Reiner Haseloff Reiner Erich Haseloff (born 19 February 1954) is a German politician who serves as the Minister President of Saxony-Anhalt. On 9 October 2020, he was elected President of the Bundesrat. His one-year term started on 1 November 2020. Political ...

* Minister-President of

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...

–

Peter Harry Carstensen Peter Harry Carstensen (born 12 March 1947) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). From 2005 to 2012 he was Minister President of the state of Schleswig-Holstein, serving as President of the Bundesrat in 2005/06. Early ...

to 12 June

Torsten Albig Torsten Albig (born 25 May 1963) is a German politician from the Social Democratic Party of Germany. From 2012 until 2017 he served as the 13th Minister President of Schleswig-Holstein. Early life and education Albig grew up in Ostholstein and ...

* Minister-President of

Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...

–

Christine Lieberknecht Christine Lieberknecht (born Determann 7 May 1958 in Weimar) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). From 2009 to 2014, she served as the Minister President of Thuringia. Lieberknecht was the first woman to become head ...

Events

January – June

* 6 January – In state

coalition of

breaks up. * 20 January –

Bavarian Film Awards The Bavarian Film Awards () are film awards given to German films in the state of Bavaria, awarded by the state government. Background and description The Bavarian Film Awards have been awarded annually since 1979 by the state government of Bav ...

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

* 23 January – The drugstore

Schlecker Schlecker was a German retail company with headquarters in Ehingen which once had a workforce of some 52,000. There were stores across Europe including Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Portugal, Poland, France, Spain and Italy. ...

files for bankruptcy. * 9–19 February –

62nd Berlin International Film Festival The 62nd annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 9 to 19 February 2012. British film director Mike Leigh was the president of the jury. The first five films to be screened in the competition were announced on 19 December 2011. Am ...

* 16 February –

Roman Lob Roman Lob (born 2 July 1990) is a German singer-songwriter. In January and February 2012, Lob was a contestant in the German TV show ''Unser Star für Baku'', produced by the German broadcasting stations Pro7 and Das Erste. He is also the lead si ...

is selected to represent

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

. * 17 February – German President

resigns following a major loan scandal. * 19 February –

is chosen as the main candidate to succeed

. * 27 February – The party

Die Linke Die Linke (; ), also known as the Left Party ( ), is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The party was founded in 2007 as the result of the merger of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and Labour and Social Justice – The ...

selects

Beate Klarsfeld Beate Auguste Klarsfeld (née Künzel; born 13 February 1939) is a Franco-German journalist and Nazi hunter who, along with her French husband, Serge, became famous for their investigation and documentation of numerous Nazi war criminals, inc ...

as its candidate to succeed

. * 29 February –

announces the closure of half its stores across Germany. * 6–10 March –

CeBIT CeBIT was a computer expo which, at its peak, was the largest and most internationally representative. The trade fair was held each year on the Hanover fairground, the world's largest fairground, in Hanover, Germany. In its day, it was c ...

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

* 7–11 March –

ITB Berlin The ITB Berlin (Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin) is the world's largest tourism trade fair. The companies represented at the fair include hotels, tourist boards, tour operators, system providers, airlines and car rental companies. The ITB ...

* 15–18 March –

Leipzig Book Fair The Leipzig Book Fair () is the second largest book fair in Germany after the Frankfurt Book Fair. The fair takes place annually over four days at the Leipzig Trade Fairground in the northern part of Leipzig, Saxony. It is the first large trad ...

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

* 18 March – German presidential election, 2012 –

is elected

President of Germany The president of Germany, officially titled the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany (),The official title within Germany is ', with ' being added in international correspondence; the official English title is President of the F ...

, taking the oath of office on 23 March * 25 March – 1 April –

2012 World Team Table Tennis Championships The 2012 Liebherr World Team Table Tennis Championships were held at the Westfalenhallen in Dortmund, Germany from March 25 to April 1, 2012. It was the 51st edition to be contested. 120 men's teams and 92 women's teams were allocated to differe ...

Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...

* 25 March – Elections in state

* 23–27 April –

Hannover Messe The Hannover Messe (HM; "Hanover Fair") is one of the world's largest trade fairs, dedicated to the topic of industry development. It is organized by Deutsche Messe AG and held on the Hanover Fairground in Hanover, Germany. The fair attracts t ...

* 27 April –

Deutscher Filmpreis The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the Cinema of Germany, German film industry. Besides being ...

in Berlin * 6 May – Elections in

* 13 May – Elections in

–

is elected to continue as Minister-President, heading an SPD-Green coalition. * 22 May –

Peter Altmaier Peter Altmaier (born 18 June 1958) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who served as Federal Ministry of Finance (Germany), Acting Minister of Finance from 2017 to 2018 and as Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and ...

replaces

Norbert Rottgen Norbert is a Germanic given name and infrequent surname, from '' nord'' "north" and ''berht'' "bright". People with the given name Academia * Norbert Angermann (born 1936), German historian * Norbert A’Campo (born 1941), Swiss mathematician * ...

as Environment Minister. * 26 May –

represents

in the

, finishing 8th. * June – The

Germany national football team The Germany national football team () represents Germany in men's international Association football, football and played its first match in 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association (''Deutscher Fußball-Bund''), founded ...

takes part in

UEFA Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th UEFA European Championship, European Championship for List of men's national association football teams#UEFA (Europe), men's ...

. * 9 June – 16 September:

dOCUMENTA (13) Documenta 13 (stylised as dOCUMENTA (13)) was the thirteenth edition of the German contemporary art exhibition Documenta. It took place between 9 June until 16 September 2012 in Kassel, Germany. The exhibition was held under the theme "collap ...

* 12 June –

is elected as Minister-President of

, after the

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together wi ...

, Greens and

South Schleswig Voter Federation The South Schleswig Voters' AssociationOther translations include ''South Schleswig Voter Alliance'', ''South Schleswig Voters' Committee'', ''South Schleswig Voter Federation'', ''South Schleswig Voters Group'', ''South Schleswig Voters League'', ...

agree to form a coalition in the state. * 18–24 June –

Kiel Week The Kiel Week () or Kiel Regatta is an annual sailing event in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is considered to be one of the largest sailing events globally, and also the largest summer festivals in Northern Europe, ...

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

* 28 June –

: The

is knocked out at the semi-final stage, by the

Italy national football team The Italy national football team () has represented Italy in men's international Association football, football since its first match in 1910. The national team is controlled by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), the governing body for fo ...

, through two goals from

Mario Balotelli Mario Balotelli Barwuah (; ''Birth name, né'' Barwuah; born 12 August 1990) is an Italian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for club Genoa CFC, Genoa. Balotelli started his ...

. * Date unknown: As the largest German-Sino transaction ever, at the end of January 2012 German company

Putzmeister Putzmeister is a German manufacturer of concrete pumps and other equipment for pumping, distributing and placing concrete, mortar and other high-density solids, and for preparing, temporarily storing, processing and transporting these materials. ...

was sold to the company Chinese Sany Heavy Industries.

July – December

* 3 July – Heinz Fromm resigns as Head of the

Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution ( or BfV, often ''Bundesverfassungsschutz'') is Germany's federal domestic intelligence agency. Together with the Landesämter für Verfassungsschutz (LfV) at the state level, the fed ...

, following controversies over the organisation's handling of the far-right. * early July – Success for German players in the

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

Singles: In the Men's section,

Florian Mayer Florian Mayer (; born 5 October 1983) is a German former professional tennis player. Mayer reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 18 in June 2011. Also in 2011, Mayer won his first ATP Tour title after four previous defeats in AT ...

and

Philipp Kohlschreiber Philipp Eberhard Hermann Kohlschreiber (; born 16 October 1983) is a German former professional tennis player. The right-hander won eight singles and seven doubles titles on the ATP World Tour and made the quarterfinals at the 2012 Wimbledon Cha ...

reach the quarter-finals; in the Women's section,

Sabine Lisicki Sabine Katharina Lisicki (; born 22 September 1989) is a German inactive professional tennis player. Lisicki turned professional in 2006, and her breakthrough came in 2009 when she reached the quarterfinals of the 2009 Wimbledon Championships � ...

reaches the quarter-finals, and

Angelique Kerber Angelique Kerber (; born 18 January 1988) is a German former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 34 wee ...

reaches the semi-finals. * 13 July –

FIFA The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...

President

Sepp Blatter Joseph Sepp Blatter (born Josef Blatter; 10 March 1936) is a Swiss former association football, football administrator who served as the list of Presidents of FIFA, eighth president of FIFA from 1998 to 2015. He has been banned from participatin ...

alleges that there were irregularities when Germany won the right to host the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...

. * 31 July –

wins its first

Gold Medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

s of the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, in the

Equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

sport, taking team gold, and with Michael Jung taking individual gold. * 9–12 August –

Hanse Sail The Hanse Sail in Rostock is the largest maritime festival in Mecklenburg (Germany) and one of the largest in Europe. About 250 traditional sailing ships of all types and sizes from a vast variety of countries visit the coast of the city of Ro ...

Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...

* 31 August – 5 September –

Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin The IFA ( ), or Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (International radio exhibition Berlin, a.k.a. 'Berlin Radio Show'), is one of the oldest industrial exhibitions in Germany. Between 1924 and 1939 it was an annual event, but from 1950 it w ...

in Berlin * 11–16 September –

ILA Berlin Air Show The ILA Berlin Air Show ( German: (ILA)) combines a major trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries with a public airshow. It is held every even year at the new Berlin ExpoCenter Airport next to the Berlin Brandenburg Airport ...

in Berlin * 12 September – The

German Constitutional Court The Federal Constitutional Court ( ; abbreviated: ) is the supreme constitutional court for the Federal Republic of Germany, established by the constitution or Basic Law () of Germany. Since its inception with the beginning of the post-Wo ...

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

ruled, that the new European bailout fund was inline with the

German constitution The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany () is the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany. The West German Constitution was approved in Bonn on 8 May 1949 and came into effect on 23 May after having been approved by the oc ...

. * 15–19 September –

Gamescom Gamescom (stylized as ''gamescom'') is a trade fair for video games held annually at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Gamescom is the world's largest gaming event, with 370,000 visitors and 1,037 exhibitors from 56 ...

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

* 18–23 September –

photokina Photokina is a trade fair held in Europe for the photographic and imaging industries. It is the world's largest such trade fair. The first Photokina was held in Cologne, Germany, in 1950, and since 1966 it has been held biennially in Septemb ...

in Cologne * 20–27 September –

Frankfurt Motor Show The International Motor Show Germany or International Mobility Show Germany, in German known as the ''Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung'' (''IAA'' – International Automobile Exhibition), is one of the world's largest mobility trade fairs. I ...

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

* 21 September –

JadeWeserPort JadeWeserPort () is Germany's largest harbour project. It is supported by the states of Lower Saxony (50.1% stake) and Bremen (state), Bremen (49.9% stake). This new containerization, container port is located at Wilhelmshaven at the Jade ...

opened. * 22 September – 7 October –

Oktoberfest Oktoberfest (; ) is the world's largest , featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival, and is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, from mid- or late-September to the first Sunday in October. The annual event attracts more than seven milli ...

* 28 September – The

selects Peer Steinbruck as its candidate to face

in the

German federal election, 2013 The 2013 German federal election was held on 22 September to elect the members of the 18th Bundestag of Germany. At stake were all 598 seats to the Bundestag, plus 33 overhang seats determined thereafter. The Christian Democratic Union of Germany ...

. * 4 October –

Michael Schumacher Michael Schumacher (; born 3 January 1969) is a German former racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to and from to . Schumacher won a record-setting seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, tied by Lewis Hamilton in ...

announces his retirement from

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

. * 5 October – Footballer

Michael Ballack Michael Ballack (; born 26 September 1976) is a German former professional footballer. He was selected by Pelé as one of FIFA's 100 Greatest Living Players, and as the UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year in 2002. He won the German Footballer of ...

announces an end to his playing career. * 10–14 October –

Frankfurt Book Fair The Frankfurt Book Fair (German: , FBM) is the world's largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. The five-day annual event in mid-October is held at the Frankfurt Trade Fair grounds in Frankfurt am ...

, with special guest

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. * 12 November –

2012 MTV Europe Music Awards The 2012 MTV EMAs (also known as the MTV Europe Music Awards) were held in Frankfurt, Germany, on 11 November 2012. This was the fifth time the awards had been held in Germany, and the second time Frankfurt had been the host city. On 17 August th ...

* 25 November – In

, German driver

Sebastian Vettel Sebastian Vettel (; born 3 July 1987) is a German racing driver who most recently competed in Formula One from to . Vettel won four Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles, which he won consecutively from to with Red Bull, and rema ...

wins the Drivers' Championship for the third consecutive year. * 26 November – A

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

at a workshop for disabled people in Southwestern Germany kills 14 people. * 6 December – German officials tried to outlaw the Nationalist

National Democratic Party of Germany National Democratic Party of Germany (, NPD), officially called The Homeland () since 2023, is a Far-right politics, far-right, Neo-Nazism, neo-Nazi and Ultranationalism, ultranationalist political party in Germany. It was founded in 1964 as ...

, with the interior ministers of all 16 states recommending a ban. The Federal Constitutional Court is yet to vote on the recommendation. * 10 December – An explosive device is found, and made safe, at the main

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

. * 25 December –

makes his first

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

address as President. * Date unknown: German company

Volkswagen Group Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of passenger and commercial vehicles, motorcycles, engines and turbomachinery. Headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxon ...

acquired Italian company

Ducati Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A () is an Italian motorcycle manufacturing company headquartered in Bologna, Italy. History Barely a month after the official liberation of Italy in 1944, SIATA announced its intention to sell this engine, called ...

and German companies

MAN A man is an adult male human. Before adulthood, a male child or adolescent is referred to as a boy. Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromosome from the f ...

and

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...

Deaths

January

* 2 January –

Helmut Müller-Brühl Helmut Peter Müller-Brühl (28 June 1933 – 2 January 2012) was a German conductor. Müller-Brühl was a pupil of Hermann Abendroth, founder of the Cologne Chamber Orchestra. In 1958, Müller-Brühl invited this orchestra to be the principal o ...

, 78, conductor (b. 1933) * 3 January –

Willi Entenmann Willi Entenmann (25 September 1943 – 3 January 2012) was a German football coach and player. Entenmann was born in Benningen am Neckar. As a coach in the Bundesliga, his highest finish was fifth place in 1986. He died, aged 68, in Garmisch-Par ...

, 68, footballer and coach (b. 1943) * 4 January – Xaver Unsinn, 82, ice hockey player (b. 1929) * 8 January – Bernhard Schrader, chemist and academic (b. 1931) * 10 January – Kyra T. Inachin, 43, historian (b. 1968) * 13 January –

Guido Dessauer Guido Dessauer (7 November 1915 – 13 January 2012) was a German physicist, pioneer in paper engineering, business executive, writer, art collector, patron of the arts, and academic. Born into a family of paper industrialists, he worked as an a ...

, 96, paper engineer and art collector (b. 1915) * 17 January –

Julius Meimberg Julius Meimberg (11 January 1917 – 17 January 2012) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a fighter ace credited with 53 aerial victories—that is, 53 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy ...

, 95, Luftwaffe flying ace (b. 1917) * 18 January –

Georg Lassen __NOTOC__ Georg Lassen (12 May 1915 – 18 January 2012) was a German U-boat commander during World War II. He was a Watch Officer on at the outbreak of the war and later the skipper of the and recipient of the Knight’s Cross. Whist aboar ...

, 96, naval officer (b. 1915) * 24 January –

Vadim Glowna Vadim Glowna (; 26 September 1941 – 24 January 2012) was a German actor and film director. Since 1964, he appeared in more than 150 films and television shows. He directed the 1983 film '' Dies rigorose Leben'', which won an Honourable Mentio ...

, 70, actor and film director (b. 1941) * 25 January – Veronica Carstens, 88, former First Lady (b. 1923)

February

* 1 February – Lutz Philipp, 71, Olympic athlete (b. 1940) * 2 February – Paul Consbruch, 81, Roman Catholic prelate (b. 1930) * 8 February –

Gunther Plaut Wolf Gunther Plaut, (November 1, 1912 – February 8, 2012) was an American Reform rabbi and writer who was based in Canada. Plaut was the rabbi of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto for several decades and since 1978 was its senior scholar. ...

, 99, German-born Canadian rabbi and author (b. 1912) * 20 February –

Imanuel Geiss Imanuel Geiss (9 February 1931 – 20 February 2012) was a German historian. Life Imanuel Geiss was born in Frankfurt am Main, the youngest of the five children of a working-class family affected by the economic crisis. His unemployed fath ...

, 81, historian (b. 1931) * 25 February –

Louisiana Red Iverson Minter (March 23, 1932 – February 25, 2012), known professionally as Louisiana Red, was an American blues guitarist, harmonica player, and singer, who recorded more than 50 albums. A master of slide guitar, he played both traditional a ...

, 79, American blues musician (b. 1932) * 27 February – Werner Guballa, 67, Roman Catholic bishop (b. 1944)

March

* 11 March – Hans G. Helms, 79, experimental writer (b. 1932) * 13 March – Princess Anna of Saxony, 82, noblewoman (b. 1929) * 19 March – Karl-Heinz Spickenagel, 80, footballer (b. 1932) * 21 March –

Albrecht Dietz Albrecht Dietz (11 March 1926 – 21 March 2012) was a German entrepreneur and scientist who founded the first leasing company in Germany. He was considered to be one of the pioneers and founding fathers of the German leasing industry. His public ...

, 86, entrepreneur and scientist (b. 1926)

April

* 5 April –

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche Ferdinand Alexander Porsche (11 December 1935 – 5 April 2012), also known by the nickname "Butzi", was a German-Austrian designer whose best known product was the first Porsche 911. He was the son of Ferry Porsche, and the grandson of Fe ...

, 76, entrepreneur and auto designer (b. 1935) * 6 April –

Heinz Kunert Heinz Kunert (25 March 1927, Sarnów, Gliwice County – 6 April 2012) was a German engineer and inventor. Life Kunert studied philosophy, physics and psychology at University of Bonn. Kunert invented the first rear defogger A defogger, d ...

, German engineer (b. 1927) * 9 April –

Ivan Nagel Ivan Nagel (28 June 1931 – 9 April 2012) was a German theater scholar, critic and former theater director of Hungarian origin. Life Ivan Nagel was born in Budapest. He came from a Jewish family who fled their home because of the Second Worl ...

, 80, theatre director (b. 1931) * 10 April –

Barbara Buchholz Barbara Buchholz (8 December 195910 April 2012) was a Berlin-based German musician and composer. She was one of the leading theremin players of the world. Life Buchholz was born in Duisburg. She studied flute, guitar, bass guitar and singing at ...

, 52, musician and composer (b. 1959) * 12 April – Manfred Orzessek, 78, footballer (b. 1933) * 18 April –

Fritz Theilen Fritz Theilen (27 September 1927 – 18 April 2012) was a German member of the anti-Nazism, Nazi resistance movement, resistance group the Edelweißpiraten during World War II. Born to working-class parents, he joined the Deutsches Jungvolk di ...

, 84, resistance activist (b. 1927) * 20 April –

Peter Carsten Peter Carsten (30 April 1928 – 20 April 2012) was a German actor and film producer. He appeared in 90 films between 1953 and 1999, including in supporting roles, ''Dark of the Sun'' (1968), ''Hannibal Brooks'' (1969), ''Madame Bovary (196 ...

, 83, actor (b. 1928) * 21 April –

Heinz Jentzsch Heinz Jentzsch (13 March 192021 April 2012) was the most successful horse trainer in the history of German horse racing. Career During his active years from 1942 to 1999, Jentzsch recorded 4,029 victories. After World War II he came to Cologne ...

, 92, racehorse trainer (b. 1920)

May

* 3 May – Felix Werder, 90, German-born Australian composer (b. 1922) * 10 May **

Horst Faas Horst Faas (28 April 1933 – 10 May 2012) was a German photo-journalist and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. He is best known for his images of the Vietnam War. Life Horst Faas as born on 28 April 1933 in Berlin, which was then part of Na ...

, 79, photojournalist (b. 1933) **

Gunther Kaufmann Gundaharius or Gundahar (died 437), better known by his legendary names Gunther () or Gunnar (), was a historical King of the Burgundians in the early 5th century. Gundahar is attested as ruling his people shortly after they crossed the Rhine ...

, 64, actor (b. 1947) * 12 May **

Ernst Josef Fittkau Ernst Josef Fittkau (22 July 1927 – 12 May 2012) was a German entomologist and herpetologist. Career In entomology he specialized in the Diptera, especially the family Chironomidae. In herpetology he specialized in crocodiles. He collected ...

, 75, entomologist (b. 1927) **

Fritz Ursell Fritz Joseph Ursell FRS (28 April 1923 – 11 May 2012) was a British mathematician noted for his contributions to fluid mechanics, especially in the area of wave-structure interactions. He held the Beyer Chair of Applied Mathematics at the Uni ...

, 89, German-born British mathematician (b. 1923) * 15 May ** Peter Koslowski, 59, philosopher and academic (b. 1952) **

Arno Lustiger Arno Lustiger (May 7, 1924 – May 15, 2012) was a German historian and author of Jewish origin. Lustiger made significant contributions to research and document the history of Jewish resistance under Nazi rule. He was the father of the author ...

, 88, Polish-born writer and historian of Judaism (b. 1922) * 16 May – Hans Geister, 83, athlete (b. 1928) * 18 May **

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (; 28 May 1925 – 18 May 2012) was a German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music. One of the most famous Lieder (art song) performers of the post-war period, he is best known as a singer of Franz Schubert's ...

, 86, baritone and conductor (b. 1925) ** Hans-Dieter Lange, 85, television journalist (b. 1926) * 19 May –

Gerhard Hetz Gerhard Hetz (; 13 July 1942 – 19 May 2012) was a German Olympic swimmer. He competed in the 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay and a bronze medal in the 400 m individual medley in 1964. He ...

69, swimmer (b. 1942) * 24 May –

Klaas Carel Faber Klaas Carel Faber (20 January 1922 – 24 May 2012) was a convicted Dutch- German war criminal. He was the son of Pieter and Carolina Josephine Henriëtte (née Bakker) Faber, and the brother of Pieter Johan Faber, who was executed for war crime ...

, 90, Dutch-born war criminal, died in

Ingolstadt Ingolstadt (; Austro-Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ) is an Independent city#Germany, independent city on the Danube, in Upper Bavaria, with 142,308 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2023). Around half a million people live in the metropolitan ...

(b. 1922) * 27 May –

Friedrich Hirzebruch Friedrich Ernst Peter Hirzebruch ForMemRS (17 October 1927 – 27 May 2012) was a German mathematician, working in the fields of topology, complex manifolds and algebraic geometry, and a leading figure in his generation. He has been described as ...

, 84, mathematician (b. 1927) * 30 May – Gerhard Pohl, 74, politician (b. 1937)

June

* 9 June – Audrey Arno, 70, pop singer (b. 1942) * 12 June –

Margarete Mitscherlich-Nielsen Margarete Mitscherlich-Nielsen (née Nielsen; 17 July 1917 – 12 June 2012) or the "Grande Dame of German Psychoanalysis" as she was often referred to as, was a German psychoanalyst who focused mainly on the themes of feminism, female sexua ...

, 94, psychoanalyst (b. 1917) * 14 June – Karl-Heinz Kammerling, 82, academic teacher of pianists (b. 1930) * 18 June –

Lina Haag Lina Haag née ''Jäger'' (18 January 1907 – 18 June 2012) was a German anti-Fascist activist. Early life Haag was born in Hagkling, and was a member of the Youth movement of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) in the small Württembergish t ...

, 105, anti-fascist activist during World War II. (b. 1907) * 20 June – Heinrich IV, Prince Reuss of Kostritz, 92, nobleman (b. 1919) * 24 June **

Gad Beck Gerhard "Gad" Beck (30 June 1923 – 24 June 2012) was an Israeli-German educator, author, activist, resistance member, and survivor of the Holocaust. Life and career Gad Beck was born Gerhard Beck in Berlin, Germany, along with twin sister ...

, 88, Resistance activist and Holocaust survivor (b. 1923) **

Franz Crass Franz Crass (9 March 192823 June 2012) was a German bass singer. A native of Wipperfürth, Rhine Province, Crass studied with Gerda Heuer in Wiesbaden and with Professor Clemens Glettenberg at the Hochschule für Musik in Köln. He won numerous ...

, 84, bass singer (b. 1928) ** Rudolf Schmid, 97, Swiss-born German Roman Catholic bishop (b. 1914) * 25 June –

Doris Schade Doris Schade (21 May 1924 – 25 June 2012) was a German stage, radio, and film actress. She was born in Bad Frankenhausen, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between ...

, 88, television actress (b. 1924) * 27 June –

Ralph Warren Victor Elliott Ralph Warren Victor Elliott, (born Rudolf W. H. V. Ehrenberg; 14 August 1921 – 24 June 2012) was a German-born Australian professor of English, and a Runology, runologist. Life and career Elliott was born Rudolf W. H. V. Ehrenberg in Berlin, ...

, 90, German-born Australian professor of English and runologist (b. 1921)

July

* 10 July – Fritz Langanke, 92, Waffen SS Lieutenant (b. 1919) * 18 July –

Günther Maleuda Günther Maleuda (20 January 1931 – 18 July 2012) was an East German politician. From November 1989 to April 1990 he was the President of the People's Chamber (East German Parliament). Early years He was born in Alt Beelitz, (today Stare ...

, 81, politician, President of the

People's Chamber The Volkskammer (, "People's Chamber") was the supreme power organ of East Germany. It was the only branch of government in the state, and per the principle of unified power, all state organs were subservient to it. The Volkskammer was initial ...

(1989–1990) (b. 1931) * 19 July –

Hans Nowak Hans Nowak (9 August 1937 – 19 July 2012) was a German football player. He played in four matches at the 1962 FIFA World Cup. Club career Nowak was born in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. While playing for FC Bayern Munich, he won the Cup Winners' C ...

, 74, footballer (b. 1937) * 21 July –

Susanne Lothar Susanne Lothar (15 November 1960 – 21 July 2012) was a German film, television and stage actress. Her work included collaborations with Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke. She was married to fellow actor Ulrich Mühe, with whom she frequently ...

, 51, actress (b. 1960) * 23 July –

Maria Emanuel, Margrave of Meissen Prince Maria Emanuel of Saxony, Duke of Saxony, Margrave of Meissen (31 January 1926 – 23 July 2012) was the head of the Royal House of Saxony. Life Born at Prüfening Abbey in Regensburg, Bavaria, he was the eldest child of the then Heredita ...

, 86, head of the Royal House of Saxony (b. 1926) * 27 July – Carl-Ludwig Wagner, 82, politician, former Minister-President of

(b. 1930) * 29 July – Heinz Staab, 86, chemist (b. 1926) * 31 July – Rudolf Kreitlein, 92, football referee (b. 1919)

August

* 2 August – Bernd Meier, 40, footballer (b. 1972) * 8 August –

Kurt Maetzig Kurt Maetzig (25 January 1911 – 8 August 2012) was a German film director who had a significant effect on the film industry in East Germany. He was one of the most respected filmmakers of the GDR. After his retirement he lived in Wildkuh ...

, 101, film director (b. 1911) * 19 August –

Hellmut Geissner Hellmut Geissner (March 7, 1926 in Darmstadt, Germany – August 19, 2012 in Lausanne, Switzerland) was a German scholar of speech and rhetoric. Biography Geissner began his career at the Johann W. Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, before ...

, 86, scholar (b. 1926) * 21 August –

Georg Leber Georg Leber (7 October 1920 – 21 August 2012) was a German Trades Union leader and a politician in the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Biography Leber was born in Obertiefenbach (Beselich), Hesse. After serving as radio operator i ...

, 91, politician (b. 1920) * 24 August –

Georg Feuerstein Georg Feuerstein (27 May 1947 – 25 August 2012) was a Germans, German Indology, Indologist specializing in the philosophy and practice of Yoga. Feuerstein authored over 30 books on mysticism, Yoga, Tantra, and Hinduism. He translated, among othe ...

, 65, German-born Canadian scholar of Hinduism (b. 1947) * 26 August –

Krzysztof Wilmanski Krzysztof Wilmanski (March 1, 1940 – August 26, 2012) was a Polish-German scientist working in the fields of continuum mechanics and thermodynamics. Main research fields * axiomatic and kinetic foundations of continuum thermodynamics, * ...

, 72, Polish-born German scientist (b. 1940) * 28 August – Alfred Schmidt, 81, philosopher (b. 1931) * 30 August –

Paul Friedrichs Paul Friedrichs (21 March 1940 – 30 August 2012) was an East German professional motocross and enduro racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1961 to 1972, most prominently as a member of the ČZ factory motocross team w ...

, 72, motocross racer (b. 1940) * 31 August – Norbert Walter, 67, economist (b. 1944)

September

* 8 September ** Adolf Bechtold, 86, footballer (b. 1926) **

Peter Hussing Peter Hussing (15 May 1948 – 8 September 2012) was a West German heavyweight boxer. He won a bronze medal at the 1972 Olympics and placed fifth in 1976 and 1984; he missed the 1980 Moscow Games due to their boycott by West Germany. Hussi ...

, 64, boxer (b. 1948) * 16 September –

Friedrich Zimmermann Friedrich Zimmermann (18 July 1925 – 16 September 2012) was a German politician and a member of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria, Christian Social Union (CSU). From 1982 to 1989, he was the federal minister of interior. From 1989 to 1991 h ...

, 87, politician (b. 1925) * 21 September –

Sven Hassel Sven Hassel was the pen name of the Danish-born Børge Willy Redsted Pedersen (19 April 1917 – 21 September 2012) known for his novels about German soldiers fighting in World War II. In Denmark he used the pen name ''Sven Hazel''. He is one of ...

, 95, Danish-born German soldier and author (b. 1917)

October

* 1 October –

Dirk Bach Dirk Bach (23 April 1961 – 1 October 2012) was a German actor, comedian and television presenter, best known as the co-host of ''Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!'', the German version of ''I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, I'm a C ...

, 51, comedian, actor and television presenter (b. 1961) * 4 October – Erhard Wunderlich, 55, handball player (b. 1956) * 6 October – Albert, Margrave of Meissen, 77, nobleman (b. 1934) * 11 October –

Helmut Haller Helmut Haller (; 21 July 1939 – 11 October 2012) was a German footballer who played as a forward. At international level, he represented West Germany at three World Cups. At club level, he played in both Germany and Italy, and won Italian l ...

, 73, footballer (b. 1939) * 12 October –

Harry Valérien Harry Valérien (4 November 1923 – 12 October 2012) was a German sports journalist. Life Valérien was born in Munich on 4 November 1923. decided to become a sports journalist under the impression of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. He st ...

, 88, sports journalist and presenter (b. 1923) * 17 October –

Henry Friedlander Henry Egon Friedlander (24 September 1930 – 17 October 2012) was a German-American Jewish historian of the Holocaust who was noted for his arguments in favor of broadening the scope of casualties of the Holocaust. Born in Berlin, Germany, to a ...

, 82, German-born American Jewish historian (b. 1930) * 27 October –

Hans Werner Henze Hans Werner Henze (1 July 1926 – 27 October 2012) was a German composer. His large List of compositions by Hans Werner Henze, oeuvre is extremely varied in style, having been influenced by serialism, atonality, Igor Stravinsky, Stravinsky, Mu ...

, 86, composer (b. 1926) * 31 October – Alfons Demming, 84, Roman Catholic prelate (b. 1928)

November

* 8 November –

Pete Namlook Pete Namlook (born 25 November 1960 as Peter Kuhlmann in Frankfurt, West Germany – 8 November 2012) was an ambient and electronic music producer and composer. In 1992, he founded the German record label FAX +49-69/450464, which he oversaw. He ...

, 51, composer and producer (b. 1960) * 10 November –

Wilhelm Hennis Wilhelm Hennis (18 February 1923 – 10 November 2012) was a German political scientist. Hennis was born in Hildesheim. In 1960, he became professor at the Pedagogical College of Hannover. In 1962, he became a Professor in Hamburg, and in 1967 ...

, 89, political scientist (b. 1923) * 18 November –

Helmut Sonnenfeldt Helmut Sonnenfeldt (September 13, 1926 – November 18, 2012), also known as Hal Sonnenfeldt, was an American foreign policy expert. He was known as ''Kissinger’s Kissinger'' for his philosophical affinity with and influence on Henry A. Kissing ...

, 96, German-born American foreign policy official (b. 1926) * 29 November – Klaus Schutz, 86, former Mayor of Berlin (b. 1926)

December

* 4 December – Peter Kiesewetter, 67, composer (b. 1945) * 7 December –

Berthold Albrecht Berthold Albrecht (14 August 1954 in Essen – 21 November 2012 in Chur) was a German businessman and one of Germany's wealthiest men. He was co-owner (with his brother Theo Albrecht Jr.) of the Aldi Nord chain of discount supermarkets, which th ...

, 58, businessman (b. 1954) * 11 December –

Albert O. Hirschman Albert Otto Hirschman (born ''Otto-Albert Hirschmann''; April 7, 1915 – December 10, 2012) was a German economist and the author of several books on political economy and political ideology. His first major contribution was in the area of dev ...

, 97, German-born American economist (b. 1915) * 14 December – Klaus Koste, 69, gymnast (b. 1943) * 16 December –

Axel Anderson Axel Anderson (December 11, 1929 – December 16, 2012) was a German actor who was very popular in his adopted homeland of Puerto Rico. Biography Early life Anderson was born Axel Levy to a Jewish family in Berlin, Weimar Republic, Germany. In ...

, 83, German-born Puerto Rican actor (b. 1929) * 19 December – Peter Struck, 69, politician (b. 1943) * 25 December – Rudolf Muller, 81, Roman Catholic prelate (b. 1931) * 27 December –

Jesco von Puttkamer Jesco Hans Heinrich Max Freiherr von Puttkamer () was a German-American aerospace engineer, senior manager at NASA, and a pulp science fiction writer. He was an advocate of human space exploration, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligenc ...

, 79, German-born American aerospace engineer (b. 1933) * 28 December –

Emmanuel Scheffer Emmanuel Scheffer (‎; 1 February 1924 – 28 December 2012) was an Israeli football player and coach who was born in Germany. He was twice the manager of the Israel national team (1968–70, 1978–79), and led the team at the 1968 Summer ...

, 88, German-born Israeli football coach (b. 1924)

References

{{Year in Europe, 2012

2010s in Germany Years of the 21st century in Germany