Events in the year 2006 in

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 ...

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 ...

Horst Köhler Horst Köhler (; 22 February 1943 – 1 February 2025) was a German politician who served as President of Germany from 2004 to 2010. As the candidate of the two Christian Democratic sister parties, the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, CDU ...

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-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

Günther Oettinger Günther Hermann Oettinger (born 15 October 1953) is a German lawyer and politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who served as European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources from 2017 to 2019, as European Commissioner for Digi ...

Minister-President of Bavaria Below is a list of the men who have served in the capacity of Minister-President or equivalent office in the German state of Bavaria from the 17th century to the present. Privy Council chancellor Privy Council chancellors (''Geheime Ratskanzl ...

Edmund Stoiber Edmund Rüdiger Stoiber (born 28 September 1941) is a German politician who served as the 16th minister-president of the state of Bavaria between 1993 and 2007 and chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU) between 1999 and 2007. In 2002, he ...

Governing mayor of Berlin The governing mayor () of Berlin is the head of government, presiding over the Berlin Senate. As Berlin is an independent city as well as one of the constituent states of Germany (), the office is the equivalent of the ministers president of ...

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 ...

* First mayor of Bremen:

Jens Böhrnsen Jens Böhrnsen (born 12 June 1949) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, SPD who served as President of the Senate and Mayor of Bremen from 2005 to 2015. From 1 November 2009 until 31 October 2010 he was President of t ...

Minister-President of Brandenburg The minister-president of Brandenburg is the head of government of the German state of Brandenburg. The office was created in 1990 after the German reunification and the joining of Brandenburg in the Federal Republic of Germany. The current and ...

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. ...

First mayor of Hamburg The following is a chronological list of mayors of Hamburg, a city-state in Germany. The mayors are the head of the city-state, part of the government of Hamburg. Since 1861, according to the Constitution of Hamburg, constitution of 28 Septembe ...

Ole von Beust Ole von Beust (born 13 April 1955) is a former German politician who was First Mayor of Hamburg from 31 October 2001 to 25 August 2010, serving as President of the Bundesrat from 1 November 2007 on for one year. He was succeeded as mayor by ...

*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 ...

Roland Koch Roland Koch (born 24 March 1958) is a German jurist and former conservative politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He was the 7th Minister President of Hesse from 7 April 1999, immediately becoming the 53rd President of the Bund ...

*Minister-President of

Lower Saxony 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 ...

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 ...

*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 ...

Harald Ringstorff Harald Ringstorff (25 September 1939 – 19 November 2020) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party ( SPD) and the Minister President of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. He headed a coalition government of the SPD and PDS ( ...

*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 ...

Jürgen Rüttgers Jürgen Rüttgers (born 26 June 1951) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (Germany), Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who served as the 9th List of Ministers-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Minister-President of North R ...

*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 the

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 ...

: Peter Müller *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 ...

Georg Milbradt Georg Milbradt (born 23 February 1945) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who served as Minister-President of Saxony from 2002 to 2008. Early life Milbradt was born in Eslohe. His family originally was from Wągrowie ...

*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 ...

: Wolfgang Böhmer *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 ...

*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 ...

Dieter Althaus Dieter Althaus (born 29 June 1958 in Heiligenstadt/Eichsfeld) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He served as the 3rd Minister President of Thuringia from 2003 to 2009. In 2003/04 he was the 58th President of the Bu ...

Events

* 2 January - Bad Reichenhall Ice Rink roof collapse * 9 February -

Bundesvision Song Contest 2006 The Bundesvision Song Contest 2006 was the second edition of the annual Bundesvision Song Contest musical event. The contest was held on 9 February 2006 at the Mittelhessen-Arena in Wetzlar, Hesse, following Juli's win in the 2005 contest in Nor ...

* 9–19 February -

56th Berlin International Film Festival The 56th Berlin International Film Festival was held from 9 to 19 February 2006. The festival opened with '' Snow Cake'' by Marc Evans. Digitally restored version of Sam Peckinpah's 1972 film '' Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid'' served as the clos ...

* February - April -

2006 European floods From February to April 2006 many rivers across Europe, especially the Elbe River, Elbe and Danube, swelled due to heavy rain and melting snow and rose to record levels. These are the longest rivers in Central Europe. Southeastern Europe High D ...

* 9 March -

Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 Germany was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song " No No Never", written by Jane Comerford, and performed by the band Texas Lightning. The German participating broadcaster on behalf of ARD, (NDR), organised the natio ...

* 26 May -

Berlin Hauptbahnhof Berlin Hauptbahnhof () (English: Berlin Central Station) is the main railway station in Berlin, Germany. It came into full operation two days after a ceremonial opening on 26 May 2006. It is located on the site of the historic Lehrter Bahnhof, ...

opened * 9 June -

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 ...

in Germany was opened. * 26 June -

Murder of Frauke Liebs The murder of Frauke Liebs (February 21, 1985 – after June 27, 2006) is an unsolved criminal case in Germany. Disappearance On June 20, 2006, the 21-year-old student nurse Frauke Liebs disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The last know ...

* 31 July -

2006 German train bombing plot On 31 July 2006, two men placed two suitcases filled with bombs on regional commuter trains in Germany. Departing from the central station in Cologne, the bombs were timed to go off near Hamm or Dortmund and near Koblenz, and according to German in ...

* 22 September -

Lathen train collision On 22 September 2006, a Transrapid magnetic levitation (or " maglev") train collided with a maintenance vehicle near Lathen, Germany, killing 23 people and wounding 11. It was the first fatal crash involving a maglev train. Background The Tr ...

* 26 September - 2006 ''Idomeneo'' controversy at

Deutsche Oper Berlin The Deutsche Oper Berlin is a German opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. The resident building is the country's second largest opera house (after Munich's) and also home to the Berlin State Ballet. Since 2004, the ...

* 26 September – 1 October –

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 ...

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 ...

* 20 November -

Emsdetten school shooting The Emsdetten school shooting was a school shooting that occurred at the Geschwister-Scholl-Schule in Emsdetten, Germany, on 20 November 2006 when 18-year-old former student Sebastian Bosse shot and wounded 8 people and set off several smoke bom ...

* October - 2006 German troops controversy

Sport

* Germany at the 2006 Winter Olympics *

2005–06 Bundesliga The 2005–06 Bundesliga was the 43rd season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. It began on 5 August 2005 and concluded on 13 May 2006. Teams Eighteen teams competed in the league – the top fifteen teams from the previo ...

2005–06 2. Bundesliga The 2005–06 2. Bundesliga was the 32nd season of the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of the German football league system. VfL Bochum, Alemannia Aachen, and Energie Cottbus were promoted to the Bundesliga while Dynamo Dresden, 1. FC Saarbrück ...

2005–06 DEL season The 2005–06 Deutsche Eishockey Liga season was the 12th season since the founding of the (German Ice Hockey League). The German champion Eisbären Berlin defended its title in the final game on 17 April 2005. The Kassel Huskies left the leagu ...

2006 German Grand Prix The 2006 German Grand Prix (officially the Formula 1 Grosser Mobil 1 Preis von Deutschland 2006) was a Formula One motor race held at the Hockenheimring on 30 July 2006. The 67-lap race was the twelfth round of the 2006 Formula One season and wa ...

* 2006 European Grand Prix *

2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix The 2006 German motorcycle Grand Prix was the tenth round of the 2006 MotoGP Championship. It took place on the weekend of 14–16 July 2006 at the Sachsenring. MotoGP race report This race was most notable for the four-way battle for the win ...

Elections

* Baden-Württemberg state election * Berlin state election * Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state election * Rhineland-Palatinate state election * Saxony-Anhalt state election

Deaths

* 27 January -

Johannes Rau Johannes Rau (; 16 January 193127 January 2006) was a German politician who served as President of Germany from 1999 to 2004. A member of the Social Democratic Party, he previously served as the Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia fro ...

, politician (born

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

) * 3 February -

Reinhart Koselleck Reinhart Koselleck (23 April 1923 – 4 February 2006) was a German historian. He is widely considered to be one of the most important historians of the 20th century. He occupied a distinctive position within history, working outside of any pre- ...

, German historian (born

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

) * 30 April -

Paul Spiegel Paul Spiegel (31 December 1937, in Warendorf, Germany – 30 April 2006, in Düsseldorf, Germany) was leader of the Central Council of Jews in Germany (Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland) and the main spokesman of the German Judaism, Jews. He was ...

, President of Central Council of Jews in Germany (born

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...

) * 4 May - Fritz Schenk, broadcast journalist (born

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...

) * 9 June -

Drafi Deutscher Drafi Franz Richard Deutscher (9 May 1946 – 9 June 2006) was a German singer and songwriter of Sinti origin. Biography Early life and career Deutscher was born in Charlottenburg, in the western zone of Berlin, Germany. Between 1964 and 1966 ...

, German singer (born

1946 1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...

) * 10 June -

Wulff-Dieter Heintz Wulff-Dieter Heintz (3 June 1930 – 10 June 2006) was a German astronomer who worked the latter part of his career in the United States. He was Professor Emeritus of Astronomy at Swarthmore College. He specialised in the characterisation of bina ...

, German astronomer (born

) * 27 July -

Elisabeth Volkmann Elisabeth Volkmann (; 16 March 1936 – 27 July 2006) was a German actress and comedian, best known for her part in the German absurd comedy series ' (1973–1979), which was watched by millions of viewers in Germany 1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

) * 2 August -

Holger Börner Holger Börner (7 February 1931, in Kassel – 2 August 2006, in Kassel) was a German politician of the SPD. He was the 4th Minister President of Hesse from 1976 until 1987. In this position, he served as the 38th President of the Bundesrat ...

, politician (born

) * 26 August -

Rainer Barzel Rainer Candidus Barzel (20 June 1924 – 26 August 2006) was a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He served as the eighth president of the Bundestag from 1983 to 1984. Barzel had been the leader of his parliamentary gro ...

, politician (born

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20–January 30, 30 – Kuomintang in Ch ...

) * 26 August -

Ulrich de Maizière Karl Ernst Ulrich de Maizière (; 24 February 1912 – 26 August 2006) was a German general. He served in the army of three German states: the '' Reichswehr'' of the Weimar Republic, the ''Wehrmacht'' of Nazi Germany, and the German Army of W ...

, general (born

1912 This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15. In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...

) * 7 September -

Andreas Meyer-Hanno Andreas Meyer-Hanno (18 February 1932 – 7 September 2006) was a German theater and opera director. Biography Meyer-Hanno was born in Berlin. His parents were Hans Meyer-Hanno and Irene Sager. Since 1949 Meyer-Hanno studied music and theater. ...

, German theater and opera director (born

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

) * 18 September -

Heinrich Trettner Heinrich "Heinz" Trettner (19 September 1907 – 18 September 2006) was a German general who served in the Spanish Civil War, and during World War II and the Cold War. From 1964 to 1966, he served as Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, the he ...

, general (born

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Moment magnitude scale, Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 9 – The "Mud March (suffragists), Mud March", the ...

) * 1 October -

Frank Beyer Frank Paul Beyer (; 26 May 1932 – 1 October 2006) was a German film director. In East Germany he was one of the most important film directors, working for the state film monopoly DEFA (film studio), DEFA and directed films that dealt mostl ...

, German film director (born

) * 5 October -

Friedrich Karl Flick Friedrich Karl Flick (3 February 1927 – 5 October 2006) was a German-Austrian industrialist and billionaire. Early life He was born in Berlin, the youngest son of Friedrich Flick, an industrialist and convicted Nazi war criminal, and Marie ...

, German industrialist and billionaire (born

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...

) * 6 October -

Heinz Sielmann Heinz Sielmann (2 June 1917 – 6 October 2006) was a German wildlife photographer, biologist, zoologist and documentary filmmaker. Early life Heinz's father was physician Paul Sielmann. His first film, in 1938, was a silent movie on bird life ...

, German zoologist, biologist and filmmaker (born

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

) * 20 October -

Maxi Herber Maxi Herber (8 October 1920 – 20 October 2006) was a German figure skater who competed in pair skating and single skating. She remains the youngest figure skating Olympic champion (at the age of 15 years and 128 days) from when she won go ...

, German figure skater (born

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen in Finland, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its ow ...

) * 9 November -

Ingrid Hartmann Ingrid Hartmann (23 July 1930 – 9 November 2006) was a German sprint canoer who competed in the late 1950s and early 1960s. She was born in Bad Salzuflen, Free State of Lippe. She won the K-2 500 m silver medal at the 1960 Summer Oly ...

, German sprint canoer (born

) * 10 May- Robert Alvarez Lee ii, WW ii Veteran (born

1926 In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2006 In Germany Years of the 21st century in Germany

Incumbents

Federal level

State level

Events

Sport

Elections

Deaths

See also

References