2024-09-16 16:33:00
On September 15, 1949, Konrad Adenauer was elected the first federal chancellor of FRG. It was a victory with a minimal advantage. In the Bundestag, Adenauer won the majority in one vote – his own. The newly elected chancellor was at that moment already 73 years old, and no one, probably, then did not suppose that he would lead the government of FRG for more than 14 years and, more than other German politicians, would influence the establishment of democratic Germany.
In order to convince colleagues that it was his candidacy for the leadership post – despite his age – that was the most suitable, Adenauer came up with a fairly simple plan, which he successfully implemented in his home in Röndorf near Bonn, where he spent the last 30 years of his life. But we will talk about it below. Heading the government, the chancellor did not start building a residence for himself, but continued to live in a normal house, and even the situation inside remained the same as before his elevation.
Ober-burgomistr of Cologne and persecution by the Nazis
Konrad German Joseph Adenauer was born on January 5, 1876 in Cologne and was the third of five children. At the age of 33, an ambitious lawyer was already the deputy of the mayor of Cologne, Max Wallraf, who happened to be his wife’s uncle. And in 1917, during the First World War, he took his post, becoming the youngest head of the city at that moment. Among the achievements of Adenauer of that period, many note the measures to build the first autobahn in Germany, connecting Cologne with Bonn.
Konrad Adenauer remained the Ober-Burgomaster until Hitler came to power in 1933. Nazis quickly got rid of any opponents, including conservatives. Adenauer lost not only his post, but also his house in Cologne, as well as his pension. He decided to leave the city, a monastery became a temporary refuge – the Laakh Abbey of Saint Mary 80 kilometers from Cologne, whose director was his school friend. In 1934, Adenauer was arrested by the Gestapo, but he was released two days later. Adenauer stopped hiding, but he had to find a new place of residence – there was no question of returning to Cologne.
Konrad Adenauer Museum
Reina Adenauer never left the beach – he settled in the small picturesque town of Röndorf near Bonn. He even managed to obtain from the Nazi regime the payment of pensions and compensation for abandoned housing in Cologne. Бедствовать его семией не хапот.
Konrad Adenauer’s Dom-Museum in Rheindorf Photo: Horst Ossinger dpa/lnw/picture-alliance
In an idyllic location – on a high slope among vineyards, with a view of the Rhine and the ruins of Drachenfels Castle, Adenauer built a new house. He entered it with his second wife and four children from this marriage on the eve of Christmas 1937.
After Konrad Adenauer’s death on April 19, 1967, his heirs donated a plot of land with a house and property to the Federal Republic. For the preservation of this historical heritage, the Federal Chancellor Adenauer’s House Foundation was organized. Today, the museum in Röndorff on the street named Konrad Adenauer is open for visitors. A steep staircase leads the last few meters up to the house. “The famous 58 steps! Imagine, Adenauer walked here every day. To the car to work in Bonn and vice versa, and on Sundays to church service – until his death at the age of 91. Let’s try to climb home”, – jokes , beginning his story, guide.
Why did the chancellor live so simply?!
A birch tree and a date tree, once brought by the owner from a holiday in Italy, a bocce play area, stone angel figures and Adenaur’s favorite roses – on a plot of approximately 40 acres, there are half a thousand bushes. Работники Фонда try to preserve everything as it was in 1937-1967.
The tour guide opens the entrance door of the four-level house, if you consider the lower and attic floors. В узкой прихожей – old engraving with a view of Cologne. The staircase is on the second floor, but visitors are not invited there. A chair and a table with two telephones – ordinary city and special communication with a red button. The tour guide jokes that after Adenauer left for work in Bonn, the housekeeper told his subordinates how the boss was feeling today. Judging from the stories, he had a difficult character.
One of the many paintings on the wall depicts a rose bush with photographs of family members on each branch – a gift for the head of the family for his 90th birthday. The whole politician raised seven children from two women. Adenauer’s first wife Emma died in 1916 at the age of 36. The second, Augusta, died in 1948 – she was 52 years old. Adenauer became Chancellor, being a widower. Although this house is now a museum, once a year during Christmas, the heirs gather here.
Of course, for a pensioner who was retired by the Nazis, Adenauer’s big new house could be called a luxury for that time. However, becoming chancellor, he did not build and did not acquire another residence for himself, but stayed in his port. The new small building at the entrance appeared only for safety reasons, for the policy of two policemen who protected the peace.
Many visitors today are amazed at how simply the federal chancellor of Germany lived – even though the situation was quite expensive for that time.
Part of the guest reception room, where the name of the first chancellor of FRG was chosenPhoto: Horst Ossinger dpa/lnw/picture-alliance
Furniture from natural wood and floor clocks, carpets, soft sofas and chairs, paintings on the walls. In some rooms, fabric upholstery instead of wallpaper – the personal idea of Adenauer, who appreciated comfort. На полочках – valuable gifts received by him during the period of his leadership of the country – as the tour guide explains, at that time the chancellor was still allowed to accept as a gift something bigger than a bouquet of flowers.
There are many religious symbols in the house – Madonna figures, a cross on amethyst stones, the Orthodox icon of Seraphim of Sarovsk and others. However, this is not surprising, since Adenauer was raised in a religious Catholic family. From the huge window on the whole wall, the parish church of Röndorff is visible, and one of Adenauer’s sons became a priest.
Here Adenauer experienced the difficult years of Nazism and the Second World War. He was arrested three times and put in a concentration camp before the very end of the war. Одному из сыновей, служившему в Wehrmacht, managed to achieve the liberation of his father.
Из этого же дома, already being chancellor, Adenauer for 14 years determined the course of the young Federativnoi Respubliki.
Вид из окна ротонды. At this desk, Adenauer worked as chancellor, and later wrote his memoirs Photo: Oliver Berg/dpa/picture alliance
Retired at 87 years old, he did not leave politics. For three years, he headed the ruling Christian-Democratic Union in the country and until his death remained a member of the Bundestag – the oldest in that convocation. He lived in Röndorff until the last day. Today, visitors to the house-museum can look through the window into Adenauer’s bedroom, where there is a bed where he died on April 19, 1967.
Konrad Adenauer’s bedroom Photo: Horst Ossinger dpa/lnw/picture-alliance
New life under the occupation regime
Winston Churchill called Konrad Adenauer the smartest German politician since Bismarck’s time, and the people dubbed this extremely popular – and to this day – politician “old Konrad”.
Some researchers believe that during the “third Reich” Adenauer, who was isolated in a rural area, “accumulated strength”. Even before the capitulation of Hitler’s Germany, the Americans who occupied Cologne returned him to the post of chief burgomaster. During his short tenure in this position, he took an active part in the creation of the Christian-Democratic Union, was the head of his faction in the first Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia, and also headed the parliamentary council as president, which was engaged in the development of a new constitution for Western Germany. With him, Bonn became the temporary capital of the FRG. Many joke that Adenauer lobbiroval this decision because he didn’t want to move – his home was so dear to him.
In the first elections in the Bundestag in August 1949, Adenauer’s party took first place, slightly ahead of the Social Democrats. Among his fellow party members, there were many supporters of the creation of a large coalition with social-democrats. However, Adenauer himself insisted on forming a government together with liberals from the Free Democratic Party and the right German party. The final decision was taken during the so-called Röndorff conference on August 21, 1949.
In the guest room. Adenauer loved to sit by the window Photo: Oliver Berg/dpa/picture alliance
None of the people present thought it was an official event. This was a carefully designed plan by Adenauer that worked. He simply invited to his home about 20 influential politicians from his party. The main opponents did not receive an invitation. He lavishly entertained the guests with meat dishes and good wine, Adenauer managed to convince them to accept his point of view. It is worth noting that the newly elected deputies gathered in Bonn with all of Western Germany, and their life at that time was difficult – even for them it was a problem to get products. Even more surprising was the dinner at Adenauer’s house.
There was also a ruling coalition decision that was fateful for politics. Leading the assembly to the right of the host, he raised the most important question – the future chancellor. Who first proposed the post of 73-year-old Adenauer, it is difficult to confirm, perhaps, that he himself. At the same time, he convinced fellow party members that he had been to a doctor and he confirmed that everything was fine with his physical and mental abilities. On September 15, 1949, Konrad Adenauer headed the government.
Konrad Adenauer was sworn in by the president of the German Bundestag, Erich Keller (right), as the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of GermanyPhoto: dpa/picture alliance
Integration into western structures and diplomatic relations with the USSR
After the formation of the democratic government of FRG, the importance of the occupation authorities decreased. Not giving up the prospect of reunification of Germany, Konrad Adenauer made a bet on the integration of FRG into western structures and the construction of democracy.
In 1955, Adenauer visited Moscow and established diplomatic relations with the USSR. During the visit, he achieved the return to FRG of 10 thousand German prisoners of war, who at that time still remained in the Soviet Union. This agreement with the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev contributed to the growth of Adenauer’s popularity. Об этой вехе наманиет небольшая скуптура в гаду у дома – плачущая матер обнимает своего сына.
In the exhibition, located in the new building of the Museum Foundation, the personal belongings of the first federal chancellor are kept, you can listen to his speeches in the Bundestag, see photos of the fateful stages of his life, gifts. For example, a silver box that was given to Adenauer by the mother of a German soldier who returned from Soviet captivity, or a box of sweets that the chancellor received during a visit to Moscow.
Konrad Adenauer Museum In Röndorff, the exhibition is open to visitors every day, except Monday, by appointment.
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