Hans Friedrichs

Hans Friedrichs (November 9, 1875 – April 11, 1962) was a German military officer and politician. Between 1934 and 1945 he was mayor of Potsdam.

Life Friedrichs was born on November 9, 1875, in Demmin. He enlisted in the Imperial German Army in 1894, aged 19. Friedrichs served in the First World War, initially with the 3rd Foot Guards of the Prussian Guards Corps. From August 1916 he was a Captain and commander of the Assault Battalion No. 7. In this role Friedrichs participated in battles for the Chemin des Dames ridge.

After the conclusion of the First World War, Friedrichs remained in the post-war Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic. He was promoted to colonel and was assigned to Ohrdruf to supervise military training. In 1929 he retired from the Reichswehr, now ranked Major general, and moved to Potsdam.

Friedrichs joined the Nazi Party on August 1, 1932 (membership number 1,228,347). From 1933 to 1937 he served as the party's Kreisleiter for Potsdam.

In 1945, Friedrichs fled to southwestern Germany due to the advance of the Red Army. He settled in Menzenschwand in the Black Forest.

Friedrichs died on April 11, 1962, in Merano, Italy.

Mayor of Potsdam In 1934, he became mayor of Potsdam. Friedrichs would remain mayor until the conclusion of the Second World War in 1945. As a result, relatively few examples of Nazi architecture can be found in Potsdam, relative to other German cities. Those structures that do exist exhibit more subdued examples of the Stripped Classicist motifs central to Nazi architecture.