Germany and Europe is mourning the loss of a great statesman, visionary, and fearless fighter for a united Europe: Former Chancellor Helmut Kohl died at the age of 87 on June 16, 2017 at his Oggersheim home near Ludwigshafen, south of Frankfurt on the Rhine River.
As Germany’s longest-serving chancellor (16 years), he will be always remembered as the chancellor of Germany’s Reunification and for making a huge political and economic contribution to Europe’s integration.
Helmut Kohl’s political party the Christian Democratic Union confirmed media reports on June 16, 2017 that the former chancellor had died.
On hearing the news in Rome, Chancellor Angela Merkel said the Roman Catholic Kohl realized that he had a “historic chance” to overcome Germany’s decades-long division and seized it.
Kohl, Germany’s longest serving post-war chancellor, gave his name to an entire generation – the “Kohl Generation.”
Deutsche Welle (www.dw.com) has published a very comprehensive dossier about Kohl’s life, the many tributes that were paid to him by the German people, Germany, the European Union and heads of state from around the world. Click here for more.