Joachim Gauck
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Joachim Wilhelm Gauck (; born 24 January 1940) is a German politician who served as
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 ...
from 2012 to 2017. A former
Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...
pastor, he came to prominence as an anti-communist civil rights activist in
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
. During the Peaceful Revolution in 1989, Gauck was a of the New Forum opposition movement in East Germany, which contributed to the downfall of the
Socialist Unity Party of Germany The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (, ; SED, ) was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from the country's foundation in 1949 until its dissolution after the Peaceful Revolution in 1989. It was a Mar ...
(SED) and later with two other movements formed the electoral list . In 1990, he was a member of the only freely elected East German People's Chamber in the / faction. Following
German reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...
, he was elected as a member of the
Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the lower house of the Germany, German Federalism in Germany, federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag wa ...
by the People's Chamber in 1990 but resigned after a single day having been chosen by the Bundestag to be the first Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records. This made him the Bundestag member with the shortest tenure. He also served as Federal Commissioner from 1990 to 2000, earning recognition as a " Stasi hunter" and "tireless pro-democracy advocate" for exposing the crimes of the communist secret police. He was nominated as the candidate of the SPD and the Greens in the 2010 presidential election but lost in the third ballot to
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 ...
, the candidate of the government coalition. His candidacy was met by significant approval of the population and the media; '' Der Spiegel'' described him as "the better President", while the '' Bild'' called him "the president of hearts". Later, after Wulff stepped down, Gauck was elected as president with 991 of 1,228 votes in the Federal Convention in the 2012 German presidential election, as a nonpartisan consensus candidate of the CDU, the CSU, the FDP, the SPD, and the Greens. A son of a survivor of a Soviet
Gulag The Gulag was a system of Labor camp, forced labor camps in the Soviet Union. The word ''Gulag'' originally referred only to the division of the Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies, Soviet secret police that was in charge of runnin ...
, Gauck's political life was formed by his own family's experiences with
totalitarianism Totalitarianism is a political system and a form of government that prohibits opposition from political parties, disregards and outlaws the political claims of individual and group opposition to the state, and completely controls the public s ...
. Gauck was a founding signatory of the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism, together with
Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and dissident. Havel served as the last List of presidents of Czechoslovakia, president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, prior to the dissol ...
and other statesmen, and of the Declaration on Crimes of Communism. He has called for increased awareness of Communist crimes in Europe, and for the necessity of delegitimizing the Communist era.Robert Coalson
Longtime Anticommunist Activist To Become Germany's Next President
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 20 February 2012
As president, he was a proponent of "an enlightened anti-communism", and he has underlined the illegitimacy of Communist rule in East Germany. He is the author and co-author of several books, including '' The Black Book of Communism''. His 2012 book '' Freedom: A Plea'' calls for the defense of
freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...
and
human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
around the globe. He has been described by Angela Merkel as a "true teacher of democracy" and a "tireless advocate of freedom, democracy, and justice". ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' has described him as "the last of a breed: the leaders of protest movements behind the Iron Curtain who went on to lead their countries after 1989".The Gauck File
''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'', 22 February 2012, p. 14
He has received numerous honours, including the 1997 Hannah Arendt Prize. In 2022, he criticized Germany's policies towards Russia in the period after the Cold War, and said that "we should have listened to the voices of our eastern neighbours – Poles and the Baltic states as well as our Atlantic friends" when they warned about Russian aggression.


Childhood and life in East Germany (1940–1989)

Gauck was born into a family of sailors in
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 ...
, the son of Olga (''née'' Warremann; born 1910) and Joachim Gauck Sr. (born 1907). His father was an experienced ship's captain and distinguished naval officer ('' Kapitän zur See'' – captain at sea), who after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
worked as an inspector at the Neptun Werft shipbuilding company. Both parents were members of the
Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...
(NSDAP). Following the Soviet occupation of Germany at the end of World War II, the
Socialist Unity Party of Germany The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (, ; SED, ) was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from the country's foundation in 1949 until its dissolution after the Peaceful Revolution in 1989. It was a Mar ...
(SED) was installed into power in what became the German Democratic Republic (
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
). When Gauck was eleven years old in 1951, his father was arrested by Soviet occupation forces; he was not to return until 1955. He was convicted by a Russian military tribunal of espionage for receiving a letter from the West and also of anti-Soviet demagogy for being in the possession of a western journal on naval affairs, and deported to a
Gulag The Gulag was a system of Labor camp, forced labor camps in the Soviet Union. The word ''Gulag'' originally referred only to the division of the Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies, Soviet secret police that was in charge of runnin ...
in
Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...
, where he was mistreated to the extent that he was considered physically disabled after one year, according to his son. For nearly three years, the family knew nothing about what had happened to him and whether he was still alive. He was freed in 1955, following the state visit of
Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a German statesman and politician who served as the first Chancellor of Germany, chancellor of West Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the first leader of th ...
to Moscow. Adenauer negotiated the release of thousands of German prisoners of war and civilians who had been deported. Gauck graduated with an Abitur from Innerstädtisches Gymnasium in
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 ...
. According to Gauck, his political activities were inspired by the ordeal of his father, and he stated that he grew up with a "well-founded anti-communism". Already in school in East Germany, he made no secret of his anti-communist position, and he steadfastly refused to join the SED's youth movement, the Free German Youth. He wanted to study German and become a journalist but because he was not a member of the ruling Communist party, he was not allowed to do so. Instead, he chose to study
theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
and become a
pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...
in the Protestant church in Mecklenburg. He has stated that his primary intention was not to become a pastor but that the theology studies offered an opportunity to study
philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
and the church was one of the few institutions in East Germany where Marxist–Leninist ideology was not dominant. Nevertheless, he eventually became a pastor. His work as a pastor in East Germany was very difficult due to the hostility of the Communist regime towards the church, and for many years he was under constant observation and was harassed by the Stasi (the secret police). The Stasi described Gauck in their file on him as an "incorrigible anti-communist" (''unverbesserlicher Antikommunist''). He has said that "at the age of nine, I knew
socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
was an unjust system." In his memoirs, Gauck writes that "the fate of our father was like an educational cudgel. It led to a sense of unconditional loyalty towards the family which excluded any sort of idea of fraternisation with the system."


Career during and after the Peaceful Revolution of 1989

During the Peaceful Revolution of 1989, he became a member of the New Forum, a democratic opposition movement, and was elected as its spokesman. He also took part in major demonstrations against the Communist regime of GDR. In the free 1990 East German general election, he was elected to the People's Chamber of the GDR, representing the Alliance 90 (that consisted of the New Forum, Democracy Now, and the Initiative for Peace and Human Rights), where he served until the dissolution of the GDR in October 1990. On 2 October 1990, the day before the dissolution of the GDR, the People's Chamber elected him Special Representative for the Stasi Records. After the dissolution of the GDR the following day, he was appointed Special Representative of the Federal Government for the Stasi Records by President Richard von Weizsäcker and Chancellor
Helmut Kohl Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (; 3 April 1930 – 16 June 2017) was a German politician who served as chancellor of Germany and governed the ''Federal Republic'' from 1982 to 1998. He was leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1973 to ...
. As such, he was in charge of the archives of the Stasi and tasked with investigating Communist crimes. In 1992, his office became known as the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records. He served in this position until 2000, when he was succeeded by Marianne Birthler. Gauck served as a member of the
Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the lower house of the Germany, German Federalism in Germany, federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag wa ...
, the Parliament of Germany, from 3 to 4 October 1990. The 1990 People's Chamber was granted the right to nominate a certain number of MPs as part of the reunification process and he was one of the 144 Volkskammer co-opted to the Bundestag. He stepped down following his appointment as Special Representative of the Federal Government. As such, he was the shortest serving member of the Bundestag in history. He was succeeded by fellow civil rights activist Vera Lengsfeld. Gauck refused the position of president of the Federal Agency for Civic Education as well as offers to be nominated as a candidate for parliament by the SPD. Voices inside the CSU proposed him as a possible conservative presidential candidate (against SPD career politician Johannes Rau) in 1999, and his name was also mentioned as a possible candidate for CDU/CSU and Free Democratic Party in subsequent years. For instance the Saxon FDP state party proposed him as a liberal-conservative candidate in 2004, before the leaders of the parties agreed on Horst Köhler. Since 2003, Gauck has been chairman of the association Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie ("Against Forgetting – For Democracy"), and he served on the Management Board of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia 2001–2004.


Political views and reception

Gauck has written on Soviet-era concentration camps, such as the NKVD Special Camp No. 1, the crimes of Communism, and political repression in East Germany, and contributed to the German edition of '' The Black Book of Communism''. In 2007, Gauck was invited to deliver the main speech during a commemoration ceremony at the Landtag of Saxony in memory of the
reunification of Germany German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the German Democratic Republic and the integration of i ...
and the fall of the Communist government. All parties participated, except The Left (the successor of SED), whose members walked out in protest against Gauck's delivering the speech. Gauck supports the observation of The Left by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and the corresponding state authorities. Gauck has lauded the SPD for distancing itself from The Left. Gauck is a founding signatory of both the Prague Declaration on European Conscience and Communism (2008), with
Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and dissident. Havel served as the last List of presidents of Czechoslovakia, president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, prior to the dissol ...
, and the Declaration on Crimes of Communism (2010), both calling for the condemnation of
communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...
, education about Communist crimes, and punishment of Communist criminals. The Prague Declaration proposed the establishment of the European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism, that was subsequently designated by the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
. In 2010, Gauck criticized the political left of ignoring Communist crimes. Gauck is also a supporter of the idea to establish a Centre Against Expulsions in Berlin. On the occasion of his 70th birthday in 2010, Gauck was praised by Angela Merkel as a "true teacher of democracy" and a "tireless advocate of freedom, democracy and justice". ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' has described Gauck as "Germany's answer to Nelson Mandela". ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' has described him as "the last of a breed: the leaders of protest movements behind the Iron Curtain who went on to lead their countries after 1989", comparing him to
Lech Wałęsa Lech Wałęsa (; ; born 29 September 1943) is a Polish statesman, dissident, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as the president of Poland between 1990 and 1995. After winning the 1990 Polish presidential election, 1990 election, Wałę ...
and
Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and dissident. Havel served as the last List of presidents of Czechoslovakia, president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, prior to the dissol ...
. '' Corriere della Sera'' has referred to him as the "German Havel". Gauck supported the economic reforms initiated by the red-green government of
Gerhard Schröder Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder (; born 7 April 1944) is a German former politician and Lobbying, lobbyist who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1998 to 2005. From 1999 to 2004, he was also the Leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (S ...
. He also supported the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia to end Yugoslav atrocities in
Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
, and supports the German military presence in Afghanistan. Gauck is a proponent of market economy, and is sceptical towards the Occupy movement. In 2010, he said that SPD politician Thilo Sarrazin had "demonstrated courage" in opening a debate on immigration. He criticized several of Sarrazin's views. In an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in 2007, Gauck said that "we have to delegitimatize he Communist eranot only because of the many victims and criminal acts, but lso becausemodern politics in the entire Soviet empire was basically taken backward." According to ''The Wall Street Journal'', he "has dedicated his life to showing that the Soviet system's evils were no less than the Third Reich's". In his 2012 book '' Freedom. A Plea'', he outlines his thoughts on freedom, democracy, human rights, and tolerance. In 2012, Gauck said that "Muslims who are living here are a part of Germany"; he refused to say whether Islam was a part of Germany, as asserted by previous president
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 ...
. The Central Council of Muslims in Germany welcomed the remarks. In May 2015, Gauck urged Germans to openly acknowledge that "millions of soldiers of the
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
lost their lives during Nazi internment." In 2022, Gauck criticized Germany's policies towards Russia in the period after the Cold War, and said that "we should have listened to the voices of our eastern neighbours – Poles and the Baltic states as well as our Atlantic friends" when they warned about Russian aggression.


2010 presidential candidate

On 3 June 2010, Gauck was nominated for
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 ...
in the 2010 election by the SPD and the Greens. Gauck is not a member of either the SPD or the Greens (although his former party in East Germany eventually merged with the Greens after reunification), and has stated that he would also have accepted a nomination by the CDU. Gauck once described himself as a "leftist, liberal conservative", After his nomination, he stated: "I'm neither red nor green, I'm Joachim Gauck." The ''
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung The (; ''FAZ''; "Frankfurt General Newspaper") is a German newspaper founded in 1949. It is published daily in Frankfurt and is considered a newspaper of record for Germany. Its Sunday edition is the ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung'' ( ...
'' described him as a liberal conservative. Gauck is widely respected across the political spectrum, and is very popular also among CDU/CSU and FDP politicians due to his record as an upstanding, moral person during the Communist dictatorship, as well as his record as a "Stasi hunter" in the 1990s. His main contender,
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 ...
, and politicians of all the government parties, stated that they greatly respected Gauck and his life and work. Jörg Schönbohm, former chairman of the CDU 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 ...
, also supported Gauck. The only party that in principle rejected Gauck as a possible president was the legal successor of the East German Communist party, Die Linke, which interpreted the nomination of the SPD and Greens as a refusal to cooperate with Die Linke. CSU politician Philipp Freiherr von Brandenstein argued that the election of Gauck would prevent any cooperation between SPD/Greens and Die Linke for years to come, saying that "Gauck has likely made it perfectly clear to igmarGabriel that he will never appoint any of the apologists of the Communist tyranny as government members." Die Linke nominated their own candidate, former journalist Luc Jochimsen, and chose to abstain in the third ballot. Die Linke's refusal to support Gauck drew strong criticism from the SPD and Greens. Gabriel, the SPD chairman, described Die Linke's position as "bizarre and embarrassing", stating that he was "shocked" that the party would declare Gauck their main enemy due to his investigation of Communist injustice. According to Gabriel, Die Linke had manifested itself once again as the successor of the East German Communist party.Gauck-Boykott vertieft die Gräben
n24.de.
A politician of Die Linke compared the choice between Gauck and Wulff to the choice between
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
and
Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...
, drawing strong condemnation from the SPD and Greens. In the election on 30 June 2010, Gauck was defeated by Wulff in the third ballot, with a margin of 624 to 490. Gauck was originally proposed as a presidential candidate for the Greens by Andreas Schulze, then communications adviser to the Greens in the Bundestag. Schulze was appointed as Gauck's spokesman in 2010, and again in 2012.


President of Germany


Election

Following the resignation of Wulff on 17 February 2012, Gauck was nominated on 19 February as the joint candidate for President of Germany by the government parties CDU, CSU, and FDP, and the opposition SPD and the Greens. This happened after the FDP, the SPD, and the Greens had strongly supported Gauck and urged the conservatives to support him. Gabriel said Gauck was his party's preferred candidate already on 17 February, citing Gauck's "great confidence among the citizens". Reportedly, Merkel gave in to FDP chairman Philipp Rösler's staunch support for Gauck; the agreement was announced after the FDP presidium had unanimously voted for Gauck earlier on 19 February. He was thus supported by all major parties represented in the Federal Convention, except Die Linke. According to a poll conducted for '' Stern'', the nomination of Gauck was met with high approval. The majority of the voters of all political parties represented in the Bundestag approved of his nomination, with the Green voters being most enthusiastic (84% approval) and Die Linke's voters least (55% approval); overall, 69% supported him, while 15% opposed him. His nomination was "broadly welcomed" by the German media, which were described as "jubilant". His candidacy was criticized by Die Linke, and met with some other individual criticism; he was criticized by individual CSU members for not being married to the woman he lives with,Gauck in der Kritik
news.at
and by individual politicians of the Greens, notably for his earlier statements on Sarrazin and the Occupy movement. Gabriel stated that the reason that Die Linke was the only party that did not support Gauck was its "sympathy for the German Democratic Republic". David Gill was appointed head of Gauck's transition team,''David Gill – Gaucks Vertrauter fürs Schloss Bellevue''
Die Welt vom 25. Februar 2012
and later became head of the Bundespräsidialamt. On 18 March 2012, Gauck was elected President of Germany with 991 of 1.228 votes in the Federal Convention. Upon accepting his election, he assumed the presidency immediately. The new president took the oath of office required by article 56 of Germany's Constitution on 23 March 2012 in the presence of the assembled members of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat. On 6 June 2016, Gauck announced he would not stand for re-election in 2017, citing his age as the reason.


Presidential visits to foreign countries

Gauck has visited a significant number of countries as president. In 2014, he boycotted the 2014 Winter Olympics in
Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from  – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...
, Russia, in order to make a statement against violations of human rights in Russia. On 3 August 2014, Gauck joined
François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. Before his presidency, he was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of th ...
to mark the outbreak of the war between Germany and France in 1914 during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
by laying the first stone of a memorial in Hartmannswillerkopf, for French and German soldiers killed in the war.


State receptions

Gauck regularly welcomed state officials in different parts of Germany, especially for remarkable events in history. On 18 September 2014, Gauck welcomed the heads of states of partly German-speaking countries, such as
Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
,
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
,
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
, and
Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (, ; ; ), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein ( ), is a Landlocked country#Doubly landlocked, doubly landlocked Swiss Standard German, German-speaking microstate in the Central European Alps, between Austria in the east ...
, to his home region of Mecklenburg. It was the first time Belgium and Luxembourg participated in the annual event. They met in Bad Doberan, Warnemünde, and
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 ...
to address the challenges of demographic change in Europe, such as the ageing of Europe, and to commemorate the Peaceful Revolution of 1989.


Other activities

* Member of the Atlantik-Brücke * Member of the Senate of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities


Personal life

Gauck married Gerhild "Hansi" Gauck (née Radtke), his childhood sweetheart whom he met at age ten; the couple has been separated since 1991. They were married in 1959, at 19, despite his father's opposition, and have four children: sons Christian (born 1960) and Martin (born 1962), and daughters Gesine (born 1966) and Katharina (born 1979). Christian, Martin and Gesine were able to leave East Germany and emigrate to
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
in the late 1980s, while Katharina, still a child, remained with her parents. His children were discriminated against and denied the right to education by the communist regime because their father was a pastor. His son Christian, who along with his brother decided to leave the GDR in early 1984 and was able to do so in 1987, studied medicine in West Germany and became a physician. Since 2000, his domestic partner has been Daniela Schadt, a journalist. Gauck is a member of the Protestant Church in Germany, and served as a pastor for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Mecklenburg—a member church of that federation.


Selected publications

* 1991: ''Die Stasi-Akten. Das unheimliche Erbe der DDR.'' (= rororo 13016) Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1991 * 1992: ''Von der Würde der Unterdrückten'' (contributor) * 1993: ''Verlust und Übermut. Ein Kapitel über den Untertan als Bewohner der Moderne'' (contributor) * 1998: '' Das Schwarzbuch des Kommunismus – Unterdrückung, Verbrechen und Terror'' (contributor of the chapter "Vom schwierigen Umgang mit der Wahrnehmung", on political oppression in East Germany), Piper Verlag, Munich 2004, * 2007: ''Reite Schritt, Schnitter Tod! Leben und Sterben im Speziallager Nr. 1 des NKWD Mühlberg/Elbe'' (contributor), Elisabeth Schuster (ed.), German War Graves Commission, (on the NKVD Special Camp No. 1, a Soviet
NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...
concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...
) * 2007: ''Diktaturerfahrungen der Deutschen im 20. Jahrhundert und was wir daraus lernen können''. (Schriftenreihe zu Grundlagen, Zielen und Ergebnissen der parlamentarischen Arbeit der CDU-Fraktion des Sächsischen Landtages; Band 42), Dresden 2007 * 2009: ''Die Flucht der Insassen: Freiheit als Risiko''. (Weichenstellungen in die Zukunft. Eine Veröffentlichung der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V.). Sankt Augustin-Berlin 2009. * 2009: ''Winter im Sommer, Frühling im Herbst. Erinnerungen.'' inter in Summer, Spring in Autumn. Memoirs München: Siedler 2009 * 2012: '' Freiheit. Ein Plädoyer'' reedom. A Plea Kösel, München 2012, .


Honours


National honours

* Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (18 March 2012)


Foreign orders

*: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold (8 March 2016) *: Collar of the Order of Merit (2016) *: Collar of the Order of the White Lion (5 May 2014) *: Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana (3 July 2013) *: Grand Cross of the National Order of the Legion of Honour (3 September 2013) *: Grand cross with Collar of the Order of the Falcon (25 June 2013) *: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...
(20 February 2013) *: Commander Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of the Three Stars (3 July 2013) *: Grand Cross with Golden Chain of the Order of Vytautas the Great (11 July 2013) *: Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau (23 April 2012) *: Honorary Companion of Honour of the National Order of Merit (29 April 2015) *: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles (9 July 2012) *: Knight Grand Cross in the Order of the Netherlands Lion (7 February 2017) *: Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav (11 June 2014) *: Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania (22 June 2016) *: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable
Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...
(25 June 2015) *: First Class of the Order of the White Double Cross (25 March 2018) *: Member of the Order for Exceptional Merits (2015) *: Knight of the Order of the Seraphim (5 October 2016)


Awards

*1991: Theodor Heuss Medal * 1995: Federal Cross of Merit * 1996: Hermann Ehlers Prize * 1997: Hannah Arendt Prize * 1999: Honorary doctorate of the University of Rostock * 1999: Imre Nagy Prize of Hungary * 2000: Dolf Sternberger Prize * 2001: Erich Kästner Prize * 2002: "Goldenes Lot" des Verbandes Deutscher Vermessungsingenieure * 2003: Courage Preis * 2005: Honorary doctorate of the University of Augsburg * 2008: Thomas Dehler Prize * 2009: Das Glas der Vernunft * 2010: Geschwister-Scholl-Preis *: Honorary Degree from NUI Galway (15 July 2015) *: Honorary doctorate of the Maastricht University, 2017. * 2014: Leo Baeck MedalFederal President Joachim Gauck receiving the Leo Baeck Medal in Berlin on 14 May 2014
/ref> * 2021: Franz Werfel Human Rights Award


References


External links

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Gauck, Joachim 1940 births Living people Politicians from Rostock People from Mecklenburg 20th-century German Lutheran clergy Independent politicians in Germany Presidents of Germany Members of the 10th Volkskammer Members of the Bundestag for Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania East German dissidents German anti-communists German human rights activists Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Recipients of the Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana First Class of the Order of the Star of Romania Recipients of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 4th Class 21st-century German Lutheran clergy Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles Recipients of the Order of Liberty (Ukraine) 21st-century presidents of Germany