51.4830° N, 7.2168° E

BOCHUM

Most Famous People Born in Bochum, Germany

Notable people
685
Peak decade
1960s
Median birth year
1948
Most distinctive
Manager 11.2×

A Ruhr coal town that reinvented itself around the Ruhr-Universität, and the page shows it: an Academic bench running at better than seven times the global baseline, a quietly distinctive Theologian presence, and the Actor and Journalist concentrations of a city that turned a mining economy into a media-and-lecture-hall economy inside two generations.

Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Bochum during each.

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1960s with 114 notable births.

What Bochum Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Politician is Bochum's biggest profession — 15% of all notables (103).

Bochum over-indexes on manager11.2× the global rate.

  1. Politician103
  2. Actor60
  3. Football53
  4. Academic53
  5. Journalist22
  6. Writer22
  7. Author15
  8. Painter14
  1. Manager711.2×
  2. Academic537.6×
  3. Theologian135.2×
  4. Entrepreneur93.9×
  5. Author152.5×
  6. Journalist222.0×
  7. Artist121.7×
  8. Actor601.6×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Bochum's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

1650170017501800185019001950
  • Politics & Law
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Writing
  • Film & TV
  • Art & Design
  • Other
All685
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685 notable people

0001 NAZI

Hans Fritzsche

1900 - 1953

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0002 CHEMIST

Manfred Eigen

1927 - 2019

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0003 FOOTBALL

Leon Goretzka

Born 1995

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0004 MINISTER

Otto Schily

Born 1932

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0005 FOOTBALL

Joël Matip

Born 1991

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0006 MUSIC

Axel Rudi Pell

Born 1960

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0007 POLITICIAN

Norbert Lammert

Born 1948

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0008 JOURNALIST

Peter Scholl-Latour

1924 - 2014

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0009 COMPOSER

Gershon Kingsley

1922 - 2019

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0010 POLITICIAN

Wolfgang Clement

1940 - 2020

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0011 MINISTER

Andrey Osterman

1686 - 1747

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0012 FOOTBALL

Annike Krahn

Born 1985

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0013 ACTOR

Hans Korte

1929 - 2016

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0014 WRITER

Christiane Gohl

Born 1958

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0015 FOOTBALL

Marvin Matip

Born 1985

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0016 THEOLOGIAN

Ernst Käsemann

1906 - 1998

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0017 FOOTBALL

Matthias Ostrzolek

Born 1990

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0018 ACTOR

Claus Holm

1918 - 1996

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0019 COMEDIAN

Bastian Pastewka

Born 1972

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0020 FOOTBALL

Felix Bastians

Born 1988

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0021 ACTOR

Ingo Naujoks

Born 1962

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0022 FOOTBALL

Willi Schulz

Born 1938

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0023 DISCUS THROWER

Daniel Jasinski

Born 1989

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0024 POLITICIAN

Hans Matthöfer

1925 - 2009

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0025 ARTIST

Thomas Köner

Born 1965

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0026 FOOTBALL

Thorsten Legat

Born 1968

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0027 FOOTBALL

Niko Bungert

Born 1986

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0028 SCREENWRITER

Thomas Hermanns

Born 1963

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0029 SWIMMER

Mark Warnecke

Born 1970

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0030 PRODUCER

Deniz Koyu

Born 1985

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0031 FOOTBALL

Daniel Heuer Fernandes

Born 1992

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0032 MILITAR

Alfred Keller

1882 - 1974

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0033 ATHLETIC

Malte Mohr

Born 1986

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0034 FOOTBALL

Hermann Gerland

Born 1954

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0035 SINGER

Hans Werner Olm

Born 1955

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0036 ENGINEER

Werner Stengel

Born 1936

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0037 FOOTBALL

Marc Rzatkowski

Born 1990

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0038 WRITER

Peter Seewald

Born 1954

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0039 PLAYER

Lukas Kampa

Born 1986

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0040 POLITICIAN

Siegfried Balke

1902 - 1984

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0041 ACTOR

Tobias Nath

Born 1979

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0042 POLITICIAN

Birgit Sippel

Born 1960

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0043 ARTIST

Frank Goosen

Born 1966

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0044 FOOTBALL

Mike Terranova

Born 1976

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0045 THEOLOGIAN

Gerhard J. Bellinger

1931 - 2020

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0046 DOCTOR

Hans Joachim Sewering

1916 - 2010

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0047 COMPOSER

Tommy Finke

Born 1981

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0048 POLITICIAN

Renate Sommer

Born 1958

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0049 FOOTBALL

Kai Michalke

Born 1976

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0050 MERCHANT

Leffmann Behrends

1634 - 1714

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0051 ACADEMIC

Andrew S. C. Ehrenberg

1926 - 2010

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0052 ATHLETIC

Ute Thimm

Born 1958

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0053 COMPOSER

Kai Rosenkranz

Born 1980

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0054 ACTOR

Christian Maria Goebel

Born 1959

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0055 ASTRONOMER

Heinz Kaminski

1921 - 2002

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0056 HANDBALL

Anne Müller

Born 1983

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0057 BANK

Axel Wieandt

Born 1966

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0058 POLITICIAN

Lore Agnes

1876 - 1953

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0059 HISTORIAN

Ingrid Mittenzwei

1929 - 2012

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0060 FOOTBALL

Yuki Stalph

Born 1984

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0061 ATHLETIC

Annegret Kroniger

Born 1952

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0062 PSYCHOLOGIST

Manfred Günther

Born 1948

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0063 RAPPER

Ercandize

Born 1978

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0064 NAZI

Friedhelm Busse

1929 - 2008

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0065 FOOTBALL

Frank Heinemann

Born 1965

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0066 FOOTBALL

Gino Fechner

Born 1997

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0067 LAWYER

Hans-Martin Pawlowski

1931 - 2016

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0068 FOOTBALL

Hannes Wolf (football manager)

Born 1981

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0069 PHOTOGRAPHER

Gerhard Charles Rump

1947 - 2020

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0070 PHYSICIAN

Konrad Schily

Born 1937

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0071 POLICE

Tania Kambouri

Born 1983

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0072 ACTOR

Edith Schneider

1919 - 2012

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0073 ACTOR

Gundula Rapsch

1963 - 2011

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0074 LAWYER

Alexandra Thein

Born 1963

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0075 ROWER

Marc Weber (rower)

Born 1972

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0076 FOOTBALL

Michael Stuckmann

Born 1979

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0077 SCULPTOR

Friedrich Gräsel

1927 - 2013

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0078 CRIMINAL

Dieter Zurwehme

Born 1942

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0079 ACTOR

Bastian Semm

Born 1979

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0080 FOOTBALL

Gerhard Harpers

1928 - 2016

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0081 ACADEMIC

Jürgen Strube

Born 1939

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0082 JOURNALIST

Paul Sethe

1901 - 1967

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0083 CONDUCTOR

Henrik Schaefer

Born 1968

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0084 BOXER

Walter Neusel

1907 - 1964

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0085 ACTOR

Patrick Joswig

Born 1975

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0086 FOOTBALL

Cebio Soukou

Born 1992

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0087 FOOTBALL

Wilhelm Sturm

1940 - 1996

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0088 FOOTBALL

Dirk Bremser

Born 1965

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0089 DIPLOMAT

Jürgen Ruhfus

1930 - 2018

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0090 FOOTBALL

Florian Gothe

Born 1962

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0091 DIPLOMATE

Ulrich Sahm

1917 - 2005

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0092 POLITICIAN

Heinz Oskar Vetter

1917 - 1990

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0093 POLITICIAN

Dennis Radtke

Born 1979

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0094 POLITICIAN

Christoph Werner Konrad

Born 1957

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0095 ACTOR

Hermann Stövesand

1906 - 1992

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0096 THEOLOGIAN

Harald Rein

Born 1957

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0097 ACADEMIC

Wilhelm Dege

1910 - 1979

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0098 PAINTER

Sabine Funke

Born 1955

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0099 FOOTBALL

Frank Benatelli

Born 1962

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0100 ART HISTORIAN

Friedhelm Prayon

Born 1941

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0101 PHILOSOPHER

Günter Rohrmoser

1927 - 2008

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0102 COMPOSER

Siegfried Reda

1916 - 1968

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0103 ACTOR

Maria Rowohlt

1910 - 2005

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0104 JUDGE

Nora Platiel

1896 - 1979

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0105 ACTOR

Shadi Hedayati

Born 1985

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0106 COMEDIAN

Hennes Bender

Born 1968

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0107 ACTOR

Agathe Poschmann

Born 1922

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0108 POLITICIAN

Hans Albrecht (Politiker, 1919)

1919 - 2008

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0109 POLITICIAN

Hans Watzke

1932 - 2014

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0110 THEOLOGIAN

Matthias Konradt

Born 1967

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0111 CHESS

Michael Hoffmann (Schachspieler)

Born 1970

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0112 DIPLOMAT

Jürgen Sudhoff

Born 1935

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0113 DIPLOMAT

Karl Heinrich Knappstein

1906 - 1989

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0114 AUTHOR

Wolfgang Welt

1952 - 2016

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0115 FOOTBALL

Heinz-Werner Eggeling

Born 1955

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0116 SCREENWRITER

Michael Gantenberg

Born 1961

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0117 WRITER

Dirk Sondermann

Born 1960

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0118 SCREENWRITER

Jürgen Pomorin

Born 1953

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0119 CHEMIST

Georg Brauer

1908 - 2001

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0120 TRUMPET

Jeff Cascaro

Born 1968

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0121 JOURNALIST

Thilo Bode (Journalist)

1918 - 2014

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0122 AUTHOR

Sybil Gräfin Schönfeldt

Born 1927

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0123 ARTIST

Hans Kaiser (Künstler)

1914 - 1982

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0124 ACTOR

René Bazinet

Born 1955

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0125 FILM

Stefan Kornatz

Born 1968

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0126 PHOTOGRAPHER

Hans Rudolf Thull

Born 1945

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0127 ACTOR

Jochen Schroeder

Born 1954

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0128 ACADEMIC

Christoph Möllers

Born 1969

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0129 ARTIST

Fritz Eckenga

Born 1955

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0130 JUDO

Michael Bazynski

Born 1958

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0131 JUDGE

Heinrich Dietrich von Grolman

1740 - 1840

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0132 AUTHOR

Nicole Glocke

Born 1969

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0133 SPORT

Heinz Hasselberg

1914 - 1989

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0134 SOCIOLOGIST

Arno Klönne

1931 - 2015

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0135 ACTOR

Michael Härle

Born 1968

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0136 PHYSICIST

Boris Konrad

Born 1984

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0137 ARCHAEOLOGIST

Peter Pieper

Born 1953

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0138 WRESTLER

Günther Maritschnigg

1933 - 2013

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0139 SPORT

Walter Lohmann

1911 - 1993

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0140 GOLDSMITH

Elisabeth Treskow

1898 - 1992

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0141 SCREENWRITER

Milena Baisch

Born 1976

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0142 AUTHOR

Helmut Koopmann

Born 1933

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0143 FOOTBALL

Hans-Jürgen Köper

Born 1951

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0144 ECONOMIST

Alexander Dilger

Born 1968

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0145 FOOTBALL

Olaf Dreßel

Born 1968

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0146 ACTOR

Dominik Buch

Born 1988

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0147 FOOTBALL

Hans-Günter Etterich

Born 1951

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0148 ACTOR

Hans Schulze (Schauspieler)

Born 1930

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0149 SINGER

Michael Wurst

Born 1975

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0150 ACTOR

Henning Vogt

Born 1972

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0151 GEOGRAPHER

Dietrich Bartels

1931 - 1983

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0152 ACTOR

Annina Hellenthal

Born 1983

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0153 FOOTBALL

Werner Balte

1948 - 2007

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0154 ACADEMIC

Lars Rensmann

Born 1970

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0155 SINGER

Constanze Backes

-

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0156 AIRMAN

Wilhelm-Ferdinand Galland

1914 - 1943

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0157 ACTOR

Jürgen Schmidt (Schauspieler)

1938 - 2004

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0158 ACTOR

Nora Quest

Born 1990

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0159 FOOTBALL

Michael Kühn

Born 1963

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0160 WRESTLER

Nina Englich

Born 1976

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0161 FILM

Frank Döhmann

Born 1956

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0162 FOOTBALL

Gerd Wiesemes

Born 1943

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0163 ACADEMIC

Marianne Kesting

Born 1930

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0164 ACTOR

Sebastian Stielke

Born 1980

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0165 ACTOR

Lotte Palfi-Andor

1903 - 1991

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0166 FOOTBALL

Ulrich Bittorf

Born 1959

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0167 COMPOSER

Margret Birkenfeld

1926 - 2019

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0168 FOOTBALL

Dieter Versen

Born 1945

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0169 ACTOR

Anja Brünglinghaus

Born 1963

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0170 LYRICIST

Michael Glasmeier

Born 1951

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0171 ATHLETIC

Michael Fietz

Born 1967

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0172 ACADEMIC

Michael Hagner

Born 1960

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0173 ACADEMIC

Elmar Weiler

Born 1949

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0174 FOOTBALL

Kyra Malinowski

Born 1993

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0175 POLITICIAN

Maria Backenecker

1893 - 1931

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0176 POLITICIAN

Christian Flisek

Born 1974

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0177 MILITAR

Hermann-Friedrich Joppien

1912 - 1941

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0178 PSYCHOLOGIST

Rüdiger Hossiep

Born 1959

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0179 HISTORIAN

Martin Clauss

Born 1973

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0180 FILM

Ilja Rosendahl

Born 1968

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0181 ACTOR

Ygal Gleim

Born 1972

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0182 AUTHOR

Henning Sußebach

Born 1972

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0183 FOOTBALL

Heinz Lowin

1938 - 1987

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0184 SURGEON

Friedhelm Beyersdorf

Born 1954

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0185 MERCHANT

Herbert Eklöh

1905 - 1978

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0186 FOOTBALL

Meinolf Mehls

Born 1965

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0187 FILM

Benjamin Benedict

Born 1972

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0188 JOURNALIST

Hulda Pankok

1895 - 1985

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0189 FOOTBALL

Dirk Riechmann

Born 1965

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0190 WRITER

Dieter Bednarz

Born 1956

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0191 BADMINTON

Michael Helber

Born 1970

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0192 PAINTER

Hans Werdehausen

1910 - 1977

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0193 LAWYER

Dietrich Monstadt

Born 1957

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0194 PUBLISHER

Anneliese Brost

1920 - 2010

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0195 ACTOR

Gundula Niemeyer

Born 1978

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0196 RESTAURATEUR

Charly Neumann

1931 - 2008

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0197 THEOLOGIAN

Günter Brakelmann

Born 1931

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0198 WRITER

Sebastian Orlac

Born 1970

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0199 ACTOR

Sina-Maria Gerhardt

Born 1981

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0200 ACTOR

Hildegard Lena Kuhlenberg

Born 1948

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0201 ACADEMIC

Martin Schwab (Jurist)

Born 1967

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0202 HISTORIAN

Christoph Kampmann

Born 1961

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0203 TRANSLATOR

Paul Gerhard Schoenborn

Born 1934

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0204 JOURNALIST

Daniel Friedrich Sturm

Born 1973

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0205 SWIMMER

Nicolai Klapkarek

Born 1965

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0206 JOURNALIST

Randy Braumann

1934 - 2020

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0207 MUSIC

Tobias Gravenhorst

Born 1962

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0208 POLITICIAN

Karl Partsch

1922 - 2009

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0209 ACADEMIC

Gerhard Tulodziecki

Born 1941

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0210 DIVER

Hanni Rehborn

1907 - 1987

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0211 PAEDIATRICIAN

Boris Zernikow

Born 1964

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0212 ACADEMIC

Rudolf Stephan

1925 - 2019

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0213 FOOTBALL

Petra Landers

Born 1962

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0214 ORGANIST

Dominik Susteck

Born 1977

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0215 HISTORIAN

Daniel Schönpflug

Born 1969

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0216 ACTOR

Sepp Wäsche

1929 - 2002

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0217 ACTOR

Eva Mona Rodekirchen

Born 1976

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0218 ACTOR

Horst A. Fechner

1935 - 1996

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0219 JOURNALIST

Uwe Vorkötter

Born 1953

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0220 CANOE

Stephan Breuing

Born 1985

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0221 HISTORIAN

Horst Ueberhorst

1925 - 2010

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0222 ACADEMIC

Hans Kurt Tönshoff

Born 1934

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0223 PIANIST

Georg Gräwe

Born 1956

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0224 PAINTER

Matthias Brandes

Born 1950

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0225 AUTHOR

Alfred Müller-Felsenburg

1926 - 2007

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0226 ACADEMIC

Günter Urban

1926 - 2017

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0227 GEOLOGIST

Friedrich Herbst

1874 - 1937

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0228 ECONOMIST

Klaus Rose (Volkswirt)

Born 1928

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0229 WORLD WAR

Heinrich Hogrebe

1913 - 1998

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0230 MUSIC

Wolf Codera

Born 1961

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0231 SINGER

Robert Koppel

1874 - 1966

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0232 EDUCATION

Philipp Eggers

1929 - 2016

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0233 WRITER

Werner Streletz

Born 1949

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0234 ENTREPRENEUR

Otto Happel

Born 1948

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0235 THEOLOGIAN

Volkhard Krech

Born 1962

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0236 ACTOR

David Gravenhorst

-

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0237 ARCHITECT

Hermann Frede

1883 - 1965

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0238 EDUCATION

Klaus-Jürgen Tillmann

Born 1944

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0239 PRESENTER

Sebastian Höffner

Born 1975

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0240 ACTOR

Ines Marie Westernströer

Born 1986

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0241 ENTREPRENEUR

Hans Hermann Voss

1926 - 2006

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0242 FILM

Martin Brand

Born 1975

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0243 JOURNALIST

Stefan Willeke

Born 1964

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0244 SOCIOLOGIST

Olaf Kühne

Born 1973

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0245 ACADEMIC

Anne Röthel

Born 1968

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0246 ACADEMIC

Matthias Anthuber

Born 1959

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0247 ACADEMIC

Heinz Schürmann (Theologe)

1913 - 1999

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0248 BIOLOGIST

Enno Aufderheide

Born 1958

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0249 SCULPTOR

A. D. Trantenroth

1940 - 2019

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0250 BASKET

Till Gloger

Born 1993

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0251 ACTOR

René Dawn-Claude

Born 1983

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0252 ACADEMIC

Walter J. Schütz

1930 - 2013

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0253 PHILOSOPHER

Christoph Asmuth

Born 1962

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0254 MANAGER

Heinz Kriwet

1931 - 2017

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0255 PROFESSOR

Reiner Lehberger

Born 1948

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0256 ACTOR

Kathy Krause

Born 1982

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0257 ARTIST

Christian Wulffen

Born 1954

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0258 ART HISTORIAN

Andreas Bee (Kunsthistoriker)

Born 1953

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0259 REGISSEUR

Peer Boysen

Born 1957

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0260 BASKET

Julian Jasinski

Born 1996

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0261 FOOTBALL

Willi Vordenbäumen

1928 - 2015

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0262 MUSIC

Stephan Endemann

Born 1980

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0263 PSYCHOLOGIST

Theo Herrmann (Psychologe)

1929 - 2013

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0264 REGISSEUR

Ulrich Rasche

Born 1969

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0265 ACADEMIC

Jens Koch

Born 1971

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0266 OPERA

Roland Hermann

1936 - 2020

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0267 ACADEMIC

Barbara Remmert

Born 1964

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0268 FOOTBALL

Ersan Tekkan

Born 1985

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0269 JOURNALIST

Thomas Wulffen

Born 1954

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0270 ETHOLOGIST

Eckhard Hess

1916 - 1986

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0271 PALAEONTOLOGIST

Werner Schröder (Zoologe)

1907 - 1985

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0272 POLITICIAN

Jan Kaczmarek (Politiker)

1895 - 1977

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0273 ACTOR

Philipp Quest

Born 1987

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0274 FOOTBALL

Helmut Zyla

1952 - 2016

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0275 SINGER

Maxim Wartenberg

Born 1975

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0276 SKATER

Jill Vernekohl

Born 1980

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0277 ACADEMIC

Klaus Schulte

1930 - 2016

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0278 ACADEMIC

Diethelm Koch

1943 - 2008

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0279 WRITER

Boris Friedewald

Born 1969

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0280 FOOTBALL

Dirk Kurtenbach

Born 1964

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0281 COMPOSER

Friedhelm Deis

1930 - 2008

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0282 ART HISTORIAN

Ralf Krumeich

Born 1963

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0283 SOCIOLOGIST

Martin Endreß

Born 1960

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0284 WRITER

Thomas Ruhl

Born 1956

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0285 AUTHOR

Marlis Drevermann

Born 1952

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0286 MUSIC

Elmar Budde

Born 1935

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0287 ARCHAEOLOGIST

Dieter Salzmann

Born 1950

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0288 ARCHITECT

Adolf Rauchheld

1868 - 1932

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0289 ACTOR

Georg Münzel

Born 1968

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0290 AUTHOR

Ben Redelings

Born 1975

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0291 WRITER

Matthias Schamp

Born 1964

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0292 PRESENTER

Julia Schöning

Born 1974

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0293 THEOLOGIAN

Franz-Josef Nocke

Born 1932

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0294 SCULPTOR

Wyny Ecu

Born 1931

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0295 DENTIST

Eberhard Sonnabend

1923 - 2011

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0296 ANTHROPOLOGIST

Alfred Czarnetzki

1937 - 2013

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0297 MUSIC

Friedrich Witt (Bassist)

1930 - 2015

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0298 ARCHITECT

Heinrich Schmiedeknecht

1880 - 1962

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0299 ADVISOR

Werner Altegoer

1935 - 2013

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0300 POLITICIAN

Birgit Fischer (Politikerin)

Born 1953

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