Sigmund Widmer

Sigmund Widmer (born 30 July 1919 in Zürich, died 11 August 2003 in Visp) was a Swiss historian, writer and LdU politician who served as mayor of the city of Zürich.

Early life and education Born in Zürich to Bertha Gizella, née Oechslin, and Huldreich, Sigmund Widmer was a citizen of the city of Winterthur, raised in Zürich, and as a child, he also spent some time in the family of Ruth Guggenheim Heussler. He was educated as a primary school teacher in Zürich, and later studied History and German philosophy at the University of Zurich and at the University of Geneva from 1944 to 1948. Widmer habilitated as Dr. Phil., and worked in Zürich as a secondary school teacher (Mittelschullehrer) between 1949 and 1954. as well as, among others, the Zürich U-Bahn. Nevertheless, Sigmund "Sigi" Widmer forced the Zürich housing cooperatives to build affordable housing estates in the neighbouring municipalities, with the objective of opposing the housing shortage in the 1970s. The youth protests of the early 1980s, the so-called Opernhauskrawalle, marked the end of his term of office, but Sigi Widmer was very popular and became the city's Stapi (Swiss German, meaning "mayor") for 16 years; longer than all 20th-century Zürich mayors.

Other mandates In 1983 Sigmund Widmer initiated a parliamentary motion to establish the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland. Other mandates include the Mayor of the International Union Bureau for Franco-German understanding and European cooperation (1967–1977) and the bureau of the Pro Helvetia from 1986 to 1989. In 1992 Widmer was appointed by the Federal Council as a mediator in the conflict over the newly formed Canton of Jura – the "report of the Consultative Commission of the Federal Council and the Kt. Bern and Jura", the so-called Widmer report, was published in 1993. and was buried at the Fluntern Cemetery.

Works

Literature (excerpt) Zürich. Eine Kulturgeschichte. 13 volumes. Artemis, Zürich 1975–1986.