Klaus Wowereit was the Governing Mayor of Berlin from 2001-14. He was the face of the German capital for more than 13 years and is credited with giving it a “poor, but sexy” brand internationally. Wowereit was born in Berlin in 1953 and studied law at the Free University Berlin.... Read more
Klaus Wowereit was the Governing Mayor of Berlin from 2001-14. He was the face of the German capital for more than 13 years and is credited with giving it a “poor, but sexy” brand internationally.
Wowereit was born in Berlin in 1953 and studied law at the Free University Berlin. After three years as a civil servant in the Senate office of the Interior, Wowereit stood for election as municipal councillor in the Tempelhof district and at the age of 30, he became the youngest councillor in the city of Berlin.
After eleven years as a District Councillor Wowereit stood for the Berlin House of Deputies (Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin) which serves as the City’s state parliament (Landtag). In December 1999, he was elected chairman of the SPD parliamentary group in the House of Representatives.
In 2001 Wowereit became Governing Mayor of Berlin. He resigned his position on 11th December 2014 due to airport delays at BER, where he was chairman of the supervisory board.
Wowereit leaves behind a city that is far better off economically than when he took office and he undeniably deserves credit for promoting the German capital around the world as an affable, hip, cosmopolitan location.