Arnold Friedrich

Arnold Friedrich (born October 12, 1947 in Töpen) is a German former municipal politician, public administrator and a contemporary witness to the Division of Germany and German reunification. He served as mayor of the municipality of Töpen in the district of Hof in Bavaria, from 1979 to 2008 and is known for his role in the preservation and development of Mödlareuth, a village divided during the Cold War by the Inner German border. He is a co-founder of the German-German Museum Mödlareuth, and long-time chairman of the museum’s sponsoring association.

Early Life The foundation of both the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1949 established the Inner German Border. Arnold Friedrich grew up in Töpen, Upper Franconia, a municipality located directly on the demarcation line between Bavaria and Thuringia. From 1952 to 1966, Töpen was one of the few zonal border crossing points for transit traffic between Bavaria and West Berlin, a circumstance that influenced Friedrich’s early experiences of Germany’s division.

He attended primary school in Töpen and subsequently completed his secondary education in the nearby town of Hof. After leaving school with the Mittlere Reife (intermediate secondary school certificate), Friedrich completed a full apprenticeship as a heating and ventilation systems technician (Heizungs- und Lüftungsbauer), qualifying in a skilled trade before entering public service.

Career From 1967 to 1975, Friedrich served with the GSA I/2 of the Bundesgrenzschutz (Federal Border Protection) . alt=Vice President Bush visits 'Little Berlin' on Feb 5, 1983 US Vice President George Bush visits "Little Berlin" on Feb 5, 1983; to his left Arnold Friedrich the mayor, to his right Manfred Wörner, German Minister of Defence. Among the numerous visitors were, among others, George H. W. Bush, Otto von Habsburg, Karl Carstens, Helmut Kohl, Manfred Wörner, Georg Freiherr von Waldenfels, and Anna Fisher.

Friedrich was among the co-organisers of the candlelight demonstration in the western part of Mödlareuth on December 5, 1989, which aimed to promote the opening of the wall in Mödlareuth. Construction work began on December 7, and on December 9 an official pedestrian border crossing was established.

On June 17, 1990, Friedrich and his Thuringian counterpart oversaw the partial removal of the Mödlareuth wall during an event commemorating the former national holiday of the Federal Republic of Germany. This event, which was not coordinated with authorities or security forces, preceded efforts by Friedrich and filmmaker Arndt Schaffner to document the division of the village and to advocate for the partial preservation of the border installations. Together, they began establishing the German-German Museum in autumn 1990, with Schaffner assuming directorship and Friedrich taking on the chairmanship of the sponsoring association. The museum officially opened in 1994.

As chief administrative officer of the town of Gefell — since 1998, the Thuringian part of Mödlareuth belongs to Gefell — he was responsible for Mödlareuth both as honorary mayor on the Bavarian side and as chief administrator on the Thuringian side.

Despite public subsidies, the sponsoring association was unable to finance the German-German Museum on a permanent basis. In January 2006, the museum’s funding was secured through the establishment of a inter-state special-purpose association, comprising the districts of Hof (Bavaria), Vogtland (Saxony), and Saale-Orla (Thuringia), as well as the municipalities of Töpen and Gefell.

Awards 1995: Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany awarded by Federal President Roman Herzog for his lifetime achievement in the service of German reunification 1999: Kommunale Verdienstmedaille des Bayerischen Innenministeriums in Bronze 1999: Municipal Medal of Merit in Bronze from the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior 2002: Appointed honorary former mayor (Altbürgermeister) and honorary citizen of the municipality of Töpen 2010: Bavarian State Medal in Bronze, awarded by the Bavarian State Minister for Food, Agriculture and Forestry