Helmut Kohl from the Province to the World Stage | DW Documentary

From the province to the world stage: Helmut Kohl maintained close ties to his home region, Rheinland-Pfalz, and used it to his political advantage. How did Kohl's relationship to this region influence his political career, and his historical legacy?

With his burial on the grounds of Speyer cathedral, Helmut Kohl returns to the region that made him what he was: an international politician from the provinces. Kohl was often pilloried for his provincialism, but he used it to his political advantage: he entertained world leaders at the Deidesheimer Hof hotel, and treated them to his favorite local dishes. In this way, he eased their concerns about the possibility of a unified Germany -- and especially, the concerns of the French. And as far as a united Europe was concerned, Kohl envisioned not an abstract bureaucracy, but a community of regions. At the same time, there were serious problems in Kohl's family life. His two sons and second wife argued about how to maintain Kohl's political legacy. The CDU in Kohl's hometown of Ludwigshafen is also divided on Kohl's place in history -- because of his participation in a campaign financing scandal. For this report, we traveled to Rheinland-Pfalz to find out how this region affected Helmut Kohl's political career.

LIVE: Mourning Ceremonies for Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl in Speyer

Mourning ceremonies for former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl are taking place in Speyer, on Saturday, July 1. Helmut Kohl, who died on June 16, aged 87, served as German chancellor from 1982 to 1998 and was credited with bringing East and West Germany together after the fall of the Berlin Wall, as well as the introduction of the euro with Former French President Francois Mitterrand.

Trauerakt für Altkanzler: So verabschiedet sich Europa von Helmut Kohl in Straßburg

Hochrangige Politiker, Freunde und Familienmitglieder nehmen Abschied von Helmut Kohl. Seine Beisetzung ist mit einem enormen Aufwand verbunden. Der Sarg wird in der Luft, auf dem Land und auf dem Wasser unterwegs sein.

Es ist eine der größten Beerdigungen der deutschen Nachkriegsgeschichte: Zwei Wochen nach seinem Tod wird der frühere Bundeskanzler Helmut Kohl am heutigen Samstag beigesetzt. Die Trauerfeierlichkeiten an den drei Schauplätzen Straßburg, Ludwigshafen und Speyer erstrecken sich über den gesamten Tag. Kohl war 16 Jahre Bundeskanzler und 25 Jahre CDU-Vorsitzender. Er war am 16. Juni im Alter von 87 Jahren gestorben. Tausende Menschen werden zu den Trauerfeierlichkeiten erwartet.

Zunächst nehmen Politiker und Staatsgäste bei einem Trauerakt im EU-Parlament in Straßburg Abschied von Kohl. Erstmals wird damit ein gestorbener Politiker für seine Verdienste um Europa mit einem solchen europäischen Trauerakt geehrt. Reden sind unter anderem von Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU), EU-Ratspräsident Donald Tusk und dem früheren US-Präsidenten Bill Clinton geplant. Einen deutschen Staatsakt für Kohl wird es dagegen nicht geben.

Anschließend fliegt ein Hubschrauber der Bundespolizei den Sarg mit Kohls Leichnam von Straßburg in seine Geburtsstadt Ludwigshafen zurück. Dort wird der Sarg am Nachmittag in einem kurzen Trauerzug durch die Innenstadt gefahren, damit die Menschen dort Abschied nehmen können. Anschließend wird der Sarg auf ein Schiff gebracht, das dann die letzten Kilometer auf dem Rhein ins nahe gelegene Speyer fährt.

Zu der Domstadt hatte Kohl seit seiner Kindheit eine besondere Beziehung gepflegt. Im Kaiserdom ist am frühen Abend das Requiem angesetzt, zu dem noch einmal rund 1500 geladene Gäste erwartet werden. Dazu zählen Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier und Kanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU). Bis zu 3500 Menschen können Totenmesse per Videoleinwand in der Nähe des Doms anschauen. Mehr als tausend Polizisten sollen alleine im Raum Speyer und Ludwigshafen für Sicherheit sorgen.

Nach dem Trauergottesdienst ehrt die Bundeswehr den gestorbenen Bundeskanzler mit einem militärischen Zeremoniell. Dann wird der Sarg auf einen nahe gelegenen Friedhof gebracht und soll dort im engsten Freundes- und Familienkreis beigesetzt werden.

Kohls sterbliche Überreste kommen damit nicht in das Familiengrab nach Ludwigshafen, in der seine 2001 gestorbene erste Ehefrau Hannelore beigesetzt worden war. Streitigkeiten zwischen der Witwe Maike Kohl-Richter und Kohls Sohn Walter hatten die Vorbereitungen der Trauerzeremonien überschattet. (Quelle: dpa)

Helmut Kohl's Last Major Television Interview | DW Documentary

Helmut Kohl, considered by many the Chancellor of German unity, has passed away. Kohl held the office of Chancellor from 1982 to 1998.

He made very few public appearances since suffering a stroke in 2008. The last major television interview with the former Chancellor was conducted by Stephan Lamby and Michael Rutz in 2003.

Never before had Helmut Kohl talked so candidly in front of the camera and in such detail about his life and his policies - and he never did again. In honor of this great statesman, Deutsche Welle is broadcasting excerpts from this remarkable interview. Helmut Kohl talks about reunification, Europe and the introduction of the Euro, and about extremely difficult periods in his life such as the party donation scandal and his wife Hannelore’s suicide. Helmut Kohl: up-close and personal.

Exciting, powerful and informative – DW Documentary is always close to current affairs and international events. Our eclectic mix of award-winning films and reports take you straight to the heart of the story. Dive into different cultures, journey across distant lands, and discover the inner workings of modern-day life. Subscribe and explore the world around you – every day, one DW Documentary at a time.

N24 Nachrichten - Gedenkfeier für Helmut Kohl: Lammert kritisiert die Witwe Maike Kohl-Richter

Bundestagspräsident Norbert Lammert hat an das Lebenswerk des verstorbenen Altkanzlers Helmut Kohl erinnert. Gleichwohl äußerte er Kritik an Kohls Witwe Maike, die einen deutschen Staatsakt verweigert.

Remembering Helmut Kohl; A Tale of Two Londons

„Aus Sorge um Europa“ : Kohls Appell für Frieden

Aufmunterung: Helmut Kohl und Maile Kohl-Richter bei der
Buchvorstellung am Montag in Frankfurt

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Unter großem Medienrummel hat der ehemalige Bundeskanzler Helmut Kohl in Frankfurt sein neues Buch vorgestellt. In einem sehr persönlichen Appell setzte er sich für eine weitere Einigung in Europa ein. » | Von Peter Lückemeier, Frankfurt | Montag, 03. November 2014

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE SONNTAGSZEITUNG: Kohl kritisiert Isolation Russlands: Der Westen hätte sich in der Ukraine-Krise klüger verhalten können, schreibt der Altkanzler laut einem Bericht der F.A.S. in seinem neuen Buch. Er warnt davor, „alles zu verspielen, was wir schon einmal erreicht hatten“. » | Sonntag, 02. November 2014

Helmut Kohl's Wife Accused of Hijacking Husband's Political Legacy amid Memoirs Row

Helmut Kohl and Maike Kohl-Richter

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Maike Kohl-Richter, 50-year-old wife of Helmut Kohl, the 84-year-old former chancellor of Germany, criticised after reportedly ordering return of husband's political writings from foundation archive

The wife of Helmut Kohl, the 84-year-old former chancellor of Germany, has become embroiled in a bitter dispute with Angela Merkel’s ruling party about the public rights to Mr Kohl’s political writings.

Maike Kohl-Richter, 50, has been accused of “interfering” in the political legacy of her husband, who ruled Germany from 1982 to 1998 and is seen as the architect of German reunification.

Mr Kohl suffered a bad fall and injuries to his head in February 2008, and as a result cannot speak for more than ten minutes at a time and often slurs his words.

He married Mrs Kohl-Richter, an economist who worked in the chancellery, three months after his fall, and three years after presenting her as his “life partner”.

Since his fall, she has devoted most of her time to looking after the ailing former leader.

However she has been widely criticised in the German media and by Mr Kohl’s own children for allegedly hero-worshipping the former chancellor and being obsessed with protecting him. » | Tony Paterson, Berlin | Sunday, June 29, 2014

Honoring the Father of Reunification: Former Chancellor Kohl Urges Merkel to 'Fight for Europe'

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Most in Germany agree that former Chancellor Helmut Kohl was a primary advocate of European unity. This week, as the country celebrates the 30th anniversary of his first election to the Chancellery, the father of German reunification urged his fellow conservatives to fight for the common currency he helped introduce.

It is seldom that leaders live long enough to witness their own induction into the annals of history. But that was the rare honor reserved for former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl this week. He took his first step into the historical sunset on Tuesday, when he visited the conservative parliamentary group in Berlin for the first time in a decade.

There, Kohl took the opportunity to encourage his center-right successors not to abandon faith in Europe and to continue fighting for the common currency. "We must preserve Europe and continue to strengthen it," he told lawmakers from his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), according to meeting participants. "Conservatives must fight for Europe," he said. Participants also said that Kohl urged Germany to have more patience with Greece as it struggles to remain in the euro zone.

Tuesday's visit to the capital was a rare outing for the 82-year-old Kohl. The former chancellor has been in fragile health since taking a serious fall in his home in 2008, and his public appearances have been limited. Furthermore, his speech, always heavily accented, has become even more difficult to understand with age.

This week marks the 30th anniversary of Kohl's first election to the chancellery, in 1982. Widely revered as the father of German reunification and as a primary mover behind the introduction of the European common currency, he will be center stage again on Thursday, when he will appear at the German History Museum in Berlin for the unveiling of a new stamp in his honor. » | cgh -- with reporting by Philipp Wittrock | Wednesday, September 26, 2012