Ferdinand Friedensburg
Encyclopedia
Ferdinand Friedensburg was the interim Mayor of Berlin due to the illness of mayor Louise Schroeder
during the Berlin Blockade
in 1948.
College of Mines (Bergakademie). Homebeound from the United States
at the outbreak of World War I
he was arrested by the British Armed Forces
at Gibraltar
. On an attempt at flight Friedensburg was severely injured, resulting in a long-term stay in hospital. Not able-bodied for military service he served at the German embassy in Bern until the end of the war.
Back to Berlin he joined the German Democratic Party (DDP) in 1920 and in 1921 became district administrator (Landrat) at Rosenberg
, Marienwerder (today Susz, Poland). In 1925 Friedensburg was appointed vice president of the Berlin state police
agency and in 1927 became region president
of the Prussian Regierungsbezirk Kassel
. As a supporter of the Republican Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold
his times in office were marked by fierce conflicts with the rising forces of the Communists
and the Nazi Party. By September 1933 he was dismissed from state service.
In June 1945 Friedensburg was among the founders of the Christian Democratic Union
in Berlin. After the elections of October 1946 he became a deputy mayor of the city council under Otto Ostrowski
and remained in that office when Louise Schroeder succeeded Ostrowski on 8 May 1947. After the Soviet blockade of the western sectors had begun on 24 June 1948, Schroeder fell seriously ill and had to proceed to Hamburg
for medical treatment. Friedensburg as her deputy from 14 August acted as mayor until on 30 November the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
(SED) backed by the Soviet authorities proclaimed a separate city council of East Berlin
under Friedrich Ebert and hindered Friedensburg from entering his bureau in Mitte
. Though Schroeder officially reassumed office the next day, the elections called for 5 December could only be held in West Berlin
and resulted in Ernst Reuter
becoming mayor of West Berlin.
Friedensburg continued his political career as a member of the Bundestag
(1952–1965) and of the European Parliament
(1958–1965).
Louise Schroeder
Louise Dorothea Schroeder was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany party. She was the first female member of the Weimar National Assembly during the Weimar Republic...
during the Berlin Blockade
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War and the first resulting in casualties. During the multinational occupation of post-World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway and road access to the sectors of Berlin under Allied...
in 1948.
Biography
The son of a judge graduated in 1914 at the BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
College of Mines (Bergakademie). Homebeound from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he was arrested by the British Armed Forces
British Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
at Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. On an attempt at flight Friedensburg was severely injured, resulting in a long-term stay in hospital. Not able-bodied for military service he served at the German embassy in Bern until the end of the war.
Back to Berlin he joined the German Democratic Party (DDP) in 1920 and in 1921 became district administrator (Landrat) at Rosenberg
Susz
Susz is a town in Iława County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland, with 5,600 inhabitants .Throughout its history Rosenberg, Prussia carried a rose in its coat of arms....
, Marienwerder (today Susz, Poland). In 1925 Friedensburg was appointed vice president of the Berlin state police
Landespolizei
thumb|[[Germany|German]] police officer in [[Hamburg]]The Landespolizei are the main police forces of Germany. They are under the sole jurisdiction, funded and operated by the states of Germany.-History:...
agency and in 1927 became region president
Regierungsbezirk
In Germany, a Government District, in German: Regierungsbezirk – is a subdivision of certain federal states .They are above the Kreise, Landkreise, and kreisfreie Städte...
of the Prussian Regierungsbezirk Kassel
Kassel (region)
Kassel is one of the three Regierungsbezirke of Hesse, Germany, located in the north of the state. It was created in 1866 when Prussia annexed the area to form the new province Hesse-Nassau...
. As a supporter of the Republican Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold
Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold
The Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold was a Social Democratic paramilitary force formed during the Weimar Republic in 1924....
his times in office were marked by fierce conflicts with the rising forces of the Communists
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
and the Nazi Party. By September 1933 he was dismissed from state service.
In June 1945 Friedensburg was among the founders of the Christian Democratic Union
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
in Berlin. After the elections of October 1946 he became a deputy mayor of the city council under Otto Ostrowski
Otto Ostrowski
Otto Ostrowski was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany and Mayor of Berlin in 1946–1947....
and remained in that office when Louise Schroeder succeeded Ostrowski on 8 May 1947. After the Soviet blockade of the western sectors had begun on 24 June 1948, Schroeder fell seriously ill and had to proceed to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
for medical treatment. Friedensburg as her deputy from 14 August acted as mayor until on 30 November the Socialist Unity Party of Germany
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany was the governing party of the German Democratic Republic from its formation on 7 October 1949 until the elections of March 1990. The SED was a communist political party with a Marxist-Leninist ideology...
(SED) backed by the Soviet authorities proclaimed a separate city council of East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
under Friedrich Ebert and hindered Friedensburg from entering his bureau in Mitte
Mitte
Mitte is the first and most central borough of Berlin. It was created in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform by the merger of the former districts of Mitte proper, Tiergarten and Wedding; the resulting borough retained the name Mitte. It is one of the two boroughs which comprises former West and...
. Though Schroeder officially reassumed office the next day, the elections called for 5 December could only be held in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
and resulted in Ernst Reuter
Ernst Reuter
Ernst Rudolf Johannes Reuter was the German mayor of West Berlin from 1948 to 1953, during the time of the Cold War.- Early years :...
becoming mayor of West Berlin.
Friedensburg continued his political career as a member of the Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
(1952–1965) and of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
(1958–1965).