Steffen Heitmann: Difference between revisions

Steffen Heitmann's father died in 1945 in a Soviet [[prisoner of war camp]] and his mother died in 1957.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.munzinger.de/search/portrait/Steffen+Heitmann/0/19884.html|title=Steffen Heitmann - Munzinger Biographie|publisher=Munzinger-Archiv GmbH |location=Ravensburg |website=www.munzinger.de}}</ref> He grew up with his grandparents.

Heitmann took his [[Abitur]] examination in [[Dresden]] in 1963, refused [[military service]] and began training at the [[German Evangelical Church]] administration. Heitmann studied theology and phylogeny at the University of Leipzig from 1964 to 1969, took state examinations in theology and in 1972 took the second theological examination.<ref>{{cite Inweb 1971|url=http:/73/www.kas.de/wf/de/37.8145/|title=Geschichte der CDU: Steffen Heitmann |date=7 September 1944 |trans-title=History of the CDU: Steffen Heitmann |publisher=Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung }}</ref> Between 1971 and 1973 he was a parish priest and pastor in the Dresden Evangelical Community. This was followed by a church juristicallegal training, which he completed in 1980 with the first and 1981 with the second juridical examination. In 1982 Heitmann became administrative director of the church district of Dresden.<ref name="Rechter Mann">{{cite news |title= Rechter Mann, rechte Zeit |trans-title=Right man, right time |newspaper=[[Der Spiegel]] |issue= 36 |date=6 September 1993 |url= http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13682330.html |access-date=2 December 2015 }}</ref>

In the autumn of 1989 Heitmann was legal adviser to the Dresden "Group of 20" opposition group.<ref name="Rechter Mann" /> In April 1990, he headed the Working Group on the [[Gohrisch]] Draft Constitution of the Free State of Saxony.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.karl-nolle.de/aktuell/medien/id/8936 |title=Karl Nolle, MdL - Presse / Medien - Heitmann und Iltgen beenden ihre politische Karriere |publisher=Karl Nolle |website=www.karl-nolle.de }}</ref>

In 1990 Heitmann became State Minister of Justice of Saxony and joined the CDU in December 1991.<ref>{{cite news |titlename= "Rechter Mann," rechte Zeit (Right man, right time) |newspaper=[[Der Spiegel]] |issue= 36 |date=6 September 1993 |url= http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13682330.html|accessdate=2 December 2015 }}</ref> In 1994 he was elected a member of the Saxon Landtag, representing the [[:de:Wahlkreis Dresden 2|Dresden 2]] constituency.

In 1993, Heitmann was the CDU candidate for the May 1994 election of the [[President of Germany]], chosen by [[Helmut Kohl]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13679952.html |title=Bundespräsident: Nationales Unglück ((|trans-title=National misfortune) |date=11 October 1993 |volume=41 |publisher=[[Der Spiegel]] }}</ref>

On 25 November 1993, after disputed statements on the role of women, the Holocaust and foreigners which were regarded as ultra- conservative or even reactionary by critics, he renounced his candidacy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13682650.html|title=Präsidenten: Guter Mann Aus Dresden |trans-title=Presidency: Good Man From Dresden |date=13 September 1993|volume=37 |publisher=Spiegel Online }}</ref> The support of the [[FDP (Deutschland)|FDP party]] in the 1994 Federal Assembly, essential to Heitmann's election, was already uncertain.<ref name="Was schmerzt">{{cite news |url=http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13682920.html |title=Präsident: Was schmerzt |trans-title=President: What hurts |date=20 September 1993 |volume=38 |publisher=Spiegel Online }}</ref>

The case also points to the possibly strong effect of the media. Surveys revealed that only a minority in the population agreed with Heitmann's expressed views. An interview with Heitmann in the [[Süddeutsche Zeitung]] on 18 September 18, 1993, brought discussions on Heitmann's political positions. In the interview Heitmann talked about the multicultural society: "I consider this concept as a misguided program. A multicultural society can not be prescribed, it can grow at all costs." On the nation, Heitmann said:"I am not afraid of the term. I am only frustrated by its misuse." On the way to dealing with the Nazi past, Heitmann posed: "The German post-war role was in a way, a continuation of the presumed special role of the Nazi period. This is over. [...] I believe that the organized death of millions of Jews in gas chambers is indeed unique -– just as there are many historically unique events. There are no repeats in history anyway. But I do not believe that a special role of Germany can be derived from this until the end of history. The time has come -– the post-war period has finally come to an end with German unity -– to classify this event." Heitmann referred in this context to taboos, which he saw in the political culture of Germany: "The odd thing is in the Federal Republic of Germany, that there are a few areas that are taboo. There is an intellectual debate which does not necessarily correspond to the feeling of the majority of the citizens, but can not be left unpunished. And this includes foreigners. This includes the past of Germany -– the Nazi past. This includes women. I believe that these debates must also be broken, even at the risk of being placed in certain corners in which one does not feel well."<ref name="Was schmerzt" />

Heitmann was co-editor of the week newspaper Rheinischer Merkur from 1995 to 2010.<ref>{{cite news |title=Berufliches – Steffen Heitmann (|trans-title=Career - Steffen Heitmann) |issueurl=22http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-9186824.html |yearissue=199522 |page=236 |date=May 29, May 1995 |newspaper=Der Spiegel }}</ref> From 2003 to 2010 he was President of the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nmz.de/kiz/nachrichten/heitmann-neuer-praesident-der-kulturstiftung-sachsen|title=Heitmann neuer Präsident der Kulturstiftung Sachsen (|trans-title=Heitmann is new President of the Cultural Foundation of Saxony)|date=19 September 2003 |publisher=nmz - neue musikzeitung |website=www.nmz.de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kdfs.de/aktuelles/pressemitteilungen/2011/64/|title=Ulf Großmann ist neuer Präsident der Kulturstiftung |trans-title=Ulf Großmann is the new president of the Cultural Foundation |publisher=Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen: Pressemitteilungen |date=2011 |website=www.kdfs.de}}</ref>

He did not run for office in the 2009 state elections in Saxony.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sz-online.de/nachrichten/heitmann-und-iltgen-beenden-ihre-politische-karriere-2038954.html</ref><ref>http://www.karl-nolle.de/aktuell/medien/id/8936</ref><ref>kostenpflichtig online, [Textkopie] bei [[Karl Nolle]]).</ref><ref>|title=Thilo Alexe: ''Heitmann und Iltgen beenden ihre politische Karriere'' ([ |trans-title=Thilo Alexe: Heitmann and Iltgen end their political careers, |newspaper=[[Sächsische Zeitung,]] |date=10 July 2008 (online, text copy with Karl Nolle).}}</ref>

During the refugee crisis in Europe in 2015, Heitmann wrote an open letter to Chancellor [[Angela Merkel]] in late November, protesting against the refugee policy of the CDU. In the letter he held the Chancellor responsible for an "uncontrolled stream of refugees" and said, "I have never felt so alien to my country, even in the GDR."<ref>http{{cite news |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/heitmann-1.3944364|title=Heitmann tritt- aus-cdu- CDU aus-scharfe-kritik-an-merkels-fluechtlingspolitik-13944364.html</ref><ref>: Scharfe Kritik an Merkels Flüchtlingspolitik - Heitmann tritt aus CDU aus (|trans-title=Sharp criticism of Merkel's refugee policy - Heitmann emerges from the CDU) reported|newspaper=[[Frankfurter inAllgemeine the FAZ onZeitung]] |date=2 December 2015. }}</ref>

Steffen Heitmann has beenwas married to the sculptor Christine Heitmann (born 1937) sincefrom 1965; the couple hashad two adult children. SinceIn the middle of themid 1970s, the couple conductedused to conduct "Kellergespräche" (cellar talks") with lectures and discussions in the local cellar.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dhm.de/archiv/ausstellungen/boheme/ausstellung_raumtexte/raumt_4b.htm</ref><ref>''Hauskreis Christine|title= und Steffen Heitmann, Dresden''], AusstellungExhibition: ''Boheme und Diktatur in der DDR – Gruppen, Konflikte, Quartiere. 1970 bis 1989'', [[Deutsches Historisches Museum]], 1997. Hauskreis Christine and Steffen Heitmann, Dresden, Exhibition (Boheme and Dictatorship in the GDR - Groups, Conflicts, Neighborhoods. 1970 to 1989,) German|first=Mareike|last=Hybsier Historical|publisher=[[Deutsches Historisches Museum,]] 1997|location=Dresden |website=www.dhm.de}}</ref>

* 1998 Federal Service Cross, Class I

* Heiko Girnth : Texte im politischen Diskurs. Ein Vorschlag zur diskursorientierten Beschreibung von Textsorten. (Texts in political discourse. A suggestion for the discursive description of texts. In:) Muttersprache 106.1 (1996), pp. 66-80&nbsp;66–80.

* Klaus J. Groth / Joachim Schäfer : Stigmatisiert – Der Terror der Gutmenschen. (Stigmatized - The Terror of the Good People.) Aton-Verlag 2003, {{ISBN |3-9807644-5-1 }}, 2nd chapter: Der Kandidat (The candidate)

* Short Biography of: Heitmann, Steffen in: Wer war wer in der DDR? (Who was who in the GDR?) 5th edition. Volume 1, Ch. Links, Berlin 2010, {{ISBN |978-3-86153-561-4}}.