Heinz Ziegner

Heinz Ziegner (13 July 1928 – 23 December 2015) was a German politician and party functionary of the Socialist Unity Party (SED).

In the German Democratic Republic, he served as the longtime First Secretary of the SED in Bezirk Schwerin and was a member of the Central Committee of the SED.

Life and career Early career He was born into a working-class family and attended middle school. After the end of World War II, the farm laborer joined the SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany) in 1945, which was forcibly merged with the KPD (Communist Party of Germany) to form the SED in 1946.

From 1949 to 1950, he worked as a department head in the SED District Leadership in Hettstedt. In 1950, he was transferred to the district of Salzwedel, where he worked as a department head for State Administration, Economy and Agriculture. In Autumn 1951, he was made Secretary, Second Secretary in June 1952 and First Secretary in July 1953. On 1 January 1954, he assumed the same position in the district of Schönebeck. also being elected as a full member of the Central Committee of the SED in June 1971 (VIII. Party Congress).

In January 1974, on the instigation of party leadership, he replaced Bernhard Quandt as First Secretary of the Bezirk Schwerin SED leadership, a position he held for over 15 years until 1989.

Ziegenhahn was awarded the Patriotic Order of Merit in 1960, 1969 and in Gold in 1984, the Banner of Labor in 1974, the Order of Karl Marx in 1978 and the Hero of Labour title in 1988.

Peaceful Revolution

During the Wende, on 23 October 1989, the oppositional movement New Forum called for a demonstration after a peace prayer in the cathedral at the Alten Garten in Schwerin.

Ziegner decided to hold a counter-demonstration on the same square at the same time, The SED Politburo wanted to prevent Ziegner from resigning, as many others would then have to be replaced as well. However, the majority in the Bezirk Schwerin SED Secretariat prevailed against the Politburo.

He was subsequently expelled from the SED in December 1989 "due to conduct damaging to the party".

Reunified Germany Ziegner passed away in his hometown in 2015 at the age of 87.