51.3402° N, 12.3749° E

LEIPZIG

Most Famous People Born in Leipzig, Germany

Notable people
3,200
Peak decade
1930s
Median birth year
1908
Most distinctive
Publisher 8.9×

For two centuries the publishing capital of the German-speaking world, and the numbers still show it. Leipzig's most distinctive profession is publisher at nearly nine times the global rate, alongside an unusually heavy bench of theologians, art historians, and academic authors — the shape of a city whose book fair, Reclam editions, and university library set what German readers read for two centuries. Bach worked at the Thomaskirche, Leibniz was born here, and Clara Schumann grew up in its salons.

Through the Centuries

One face per century — the most globally famous figure born in Leipzig during each.

What Leipzig Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Politician is Leipzig's biggest profession — 10% of all notables (334).

Leipzig over-indexes on publisher8.9× the global rate.

Leipzig under-produces football — only 0.2× the global rate.

  1. Politician334
  2. Actor195
  3. Painter171
  4. Author130
  5. Academic125
  6. Writer113
  7. Historian86
  8. Football80
  1. Publisher368.9×
  2. Art Historian365.9×
  3. Theologian615.3×
  4. Author1304.7×
  5. Chemist454.0×
  6. Academic1253.9×
  7. Physicist392.9×
  8. Historian862.5×
  1. Football800.2×
  2. Singer420.6×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

1500155016001650170017501800185019001950
  • Writing
  • Science
  • Politics & Law
  • Art & Design
  • Sports
  • Film & TV
  • Other
All3,200
Sort By

Showing 270 of 3,200 notable people

0043 ACTOR

Peter Gilmore

1931 - 2013

Preview
0087 ACTOR

Rolf Becker

Born 1935

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0156 WRITER

Jesco von Puttkamer

1933 - 2012

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0170 ACTOR

Eberhard Esche

1933 - 2006

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0175 CRIMINAL

Fritz Honka

1935 - 1998

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0176 ACTOR

Peter Ehrlich

1933 - 2015

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0178 FILM

Lothar Warneke

1936 - 2005

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0199 ACTOR

Dieter Dorn

Born 1935

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0224 ACTOR

Vera Oelschlegel

Born 1938

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0256 BOTANIST

Hanns Kreisel

1931 - 2017

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0259 JUDGE

Carl-Dieter Spranger

Born 1939

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0272 COMPOSER

Arndt Bause

1936 - 2003

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0275 POET

Peter Gosse

Born 1938

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0276 CONDUCTOR

Max Pommer

Born 1936

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0305 FILM

Ralf Kirsten

1930 - 1998

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0310 SPORT

Erich Hagen

1936 - 1978

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0313 THEOLOGIAN

Peter Stuhlmacher

Born 1932

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0315 ACTOR

Stefan Wigger

1932 - 2013

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0398 ACADEMIC

Hans-Joachim Schulze

Born 1934

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0411 MATHEMATICIAN

Gerhard Hund

Born 1932

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0417 ARCHAEOLOGIST

Konrad Spindler

1939 - 2005

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0442 BOTANIST

Jürke Grau

Born 1937

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0470 MUSIC

Helga Brauer

1936 - 1991

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0481 SCULPTOR

Haïm Kern

Born 1930

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0497 PROFESSOR

Eveline Gottzein

Born 1931

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0510 THEOLOGIAN

Uwe Siemon-Netto

Born 1936

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0550 MUSIC

Günter Jena

Born 1933

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0552 ACTOR

Jeanette Schultze

1931 - 1972

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0574 LITERARY

Hanns Grössel

1932 - 2012

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0586 POLITICIAN

Mordechai Virshubski

1930 - 2012

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0597 POLITICIAN

Hans-Joachim Böhme (ministre)

1931 - 1995

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0599 ACADEMIC

Leonore Krenzlin

Born 1934

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0602 ACTOR

Wera Paintner

Born 1933

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0612 CINEMA

Jürgen Brauer

Born 1938

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0613 ACTOR

Ingeborg Krabbe

1931 - 2017

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0622 EDUCATION

Martin Bonhoeffer

1935 - 1989

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0637 ARCHAEOLOGIST

Hans-Jürgen Häßler

1939 - 2011

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0661 PSYCHIATRIST

Eberhard Schorsch

1935 - 1991

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0662 GENETICIST

Erhard Geißler

Born 1930

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0683 MEDIEVALIST

Joachim Ehlers

Born 1936

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0714 COMPOSER

Thomas Müller (Komponist)

Born 1939

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0724 PHARMACOLOGIST

Peter Oehme

Born 1937

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0732 ACTOR

Volker Brandt

Born 1935

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0740 FILM

John Heyman

1933 - 2017

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0749 BUSINESS

Sybill Storz

Born 1937

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0773 PRESENTER

Dieter Zimmer (Journalist)

Born 1939

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0780 FOOTBALL

Gerhard Vogt (Fußballspieler)

1933 - 2003

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0815 PRIEST

Rüdiger Rainer Minor

1939 - 2017

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0835 PAINTER

Ben Willikens

Born 1939

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0844 ACTOR

Wolfgang Hinze

Born 1935

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0853 ACTOR

Fritz Decho

1932 - 2002

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0857 ARCHAEOLOGIST

Dorothea Arnold

Born 1935

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0860 ACADEMIC

Gert Wunderlich (Typograf)

Born 1933

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0882 MATHEMATICIAN

Stefan Hildebrandt

1936 - 2015

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0886 SINOLOGIST

Ulrich Unger

1930 - 2006

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0899 SOLDIER

Rolf Berger (General)

1936 - 2009

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0930 MANAGER

Albrecht Schmidt

Born 1938

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0936 WRITER

Barbara Yurtdaş

Born 1937

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0947 PHYSICIST

Dietrich Koch

1937 - 2020

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0958 THEOLOGIAN

Ernst Petzold

1930 - 2017

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0978 THEATRE

Friedrich Meyer-Oertel

Born 1936

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0979 ATHLETIC

Manfred Stolle

Born 1937

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0998 AUTHOR

Manfred Streubel

1932 - 1992

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0999 HISTORIAN

Annelies Laschitza

1934 - 2018

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1003 ACADEMIC

Rudolf Skoda

1931 - 2015

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1018 CHEMIST

Günther Schilling

1930 - 2018

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1044 DISSIDENT

Rudi Thurow

Born 1937

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1065 ARTIST

Volker Pfüller

1939 - 2020

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1069 WRITER

Dieter Mucke

1936 - 2016

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1085 HISTORIAN

Jutta Seidel

1931 - 2017

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1099 SCREENWRITER

Peter Steinbach (Drehbuchautor)

1938 - 2019

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1104 HISTORIAN

Klaus Drobisch

1931 - 2019

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1111 MISSING

Dieter Clauß

Born 1934

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1114 AUTHOR

Herbert Kästner

Born 1936

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1125 WRITER

Manfred Künne

1931 - 1990

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1129 SINGER

Roswitha Trexler

Born 1936

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1149 SCREENWRITER

Otto Bonhoff

1931 - 2001

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1151 MUSIC

Hans Joachim Marx (Musikwissenschaftler)

Born 1935

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1189 MARINE

Hans-Joachim Dönitz

1934 - 2010

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1190 PAINTER

Günter Thiele (Künstler)

Born 1930

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1193 AUTHOR

Jürgen Spohn

1934 - 1992

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1216 ASTRONOMER

Klaus Lindner

Born 1935

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1228 SINGER

Hermann Christian Polster

Born 1937

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1237 SINGER

Barbara Scherler

Born 1933

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1244 WRITER

Hawe Schneider

1930 - 2011

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1245 AUTHOR

Hartmut Fröschle

Born 1937

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1250 BIOCHEMIST

Klaus Mosbach

Born 1932

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1255 CINEMA

Beate Hanspach

Born 1937

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1260 POLITICIAN

Ekkehard Schumann

Born 1931

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1261 THEOLOGIAN

Axel Denecke

Born 1938

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1262 ECONOMIST

Karin Peschel

1935 - 2020

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1264 BASSIST

Klaus Koch (Musiker)

1936 - 2000

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1273 REDAKTEUR

Michael Leckebusch

1937 - 2000

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1282 ORIENTALIST

Stefan Wild

Born 1937

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1287 MATHEMATICIAN

Peter Zahn (Mathematiker)

Born 1930

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1294 MUSIC

Hans-Joachim Scheitzbach

Born 1939

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1317 LAWYER

Günter Herrmann (Intendant)

Born 1931

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1322 PAINTER

Wolfgang Würfel

Born 1932

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1345 OFFIZIELL

Hans-Joachim Seidowsky

Born 1932

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1356 MATHEMATICIAN

Heinz Langer (Mathematiker)

Born 1935

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1370 CHEMIST

Hans-Dieter Scharf

1930 - 1998

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1388 POLITICIAN

Rolf Kersten

1935 - 1986

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1392 WRITER

Peter Tille

1938 - 1996

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1394 DIPLOMAT

Joachim Mitdank

1931 - 2017

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1402 ENTREPRENEUR

Wigand von Salmuth

1931 - 2006

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1417 PHYSICIST

Klaus Pinkau

Born 1931

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1428 CHEMIST

Horst Hennig (Chemiker)

Born 1937

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1432 PAINTER

Konrad Knebel (Maler)

Born 1932

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1454 ACTOR

Heinz-Martin Benecke

Born 1938

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1457 MATHEMATICIAN

Hans Wolff (Mathematiker)

Born 1938

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1458 ARCHITECT

Jakob Schulze-Rohr

1930 - 2008

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1470 MATHEMATICIAN

Alfred Göpfert

Born 1934

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1472 HISTORIAN

Christoph Michael Haufe

1932 - 2011

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1482 SCREENWRITER

Klaus Zippel

Born 1936

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1496 POLITICIAN

Manfred Mühlmann

1931 - 2014

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1502 PHYSICIST

Ludwig Streit

Born 1938

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1509 PHYSICIAN

Dietrich Niethammer

1939 - 2020

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1519 HORNIST

Erich Penzel

Born 1930

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1520 ACADEMIC

Wolfgang Fratzscher

Born 1932

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1536 PHILOLOGIST

Ludwig Fischer (Philologe)

Born 1939

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1537 ECOLOGIST

Heinz Spitzbart

1930 - 2008

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1544 ACADEMIC

Gert König

Born 1934

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1549 EDUCATION

Peter Förster

Born 1932

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1563 HISTORIAN

Walter Deeters

1930 - 2004

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1569 ACTOR

Ingrid Ernest

1933 - 1975

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1574 JOURNALIST

Fritz Ullrich Fack

1930 - 2019

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1610 LINGUIST

Rolf Klemmt

Born 1938

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1616 MATHEMATICIAN

Günther Eisenreich

1933 - 2015

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1618 PAINTER

Hermann Lindner (Maler)

1934 - 2000

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1637 CHEMIST

Adolf Zschunke

Born 1937

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1644 ART HISTORIAN

Roland März

1939 - 2020

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1648 SURGEON

Wolfgang J. Bock

1935 - 2008

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1663 ACTOR

Hanskarl Hoerning

Born 1931

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1671 PAINTER

Leo Leonhard

1939 - 2011

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1680 HISTORIAN

Klaus Ehrler

1930 - 2005

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1682 PHILOSOPHER

Henry J. Blumenthal

1936 - 1998

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1686 ECONOMIST

Christian Uhlig (Wirtschaftswissenschaftler) – W

Born 1931

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1689 PHYSICIAN

Alexander von Graevenitz (Mikrobiologe)

Born 1932

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1694 MUSIC

Roman Suchecki

1933 - 2003

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1705 ECONOMIST

Jürgen Becher

Born 1937

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1711 HISTORIAN

Rolf Trauzettel

1930 - 2019

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1717 PROFESSOR

Peter Stahlknecht

Born 1933

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1724 PAINTER

Rütjer Rühle

Born 1939

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1735 ECOLOGIST

Wolfgang Weise

1930 - 2006

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1737 GENERALMAJOR

Rolf Lehmann (General)

1934 - 2005

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1746 PAINTER

Eberhard Keienburg

Born 1936

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1753 CHEMIST

Manfred Rätzsch

Born 1933

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1758 HISTORIAN

Wieland Held

1939 - 2003

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1763 LAWYER

Hans-Peter Hillig

Born 1934

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1767 MUSIC

Christian Veit

1935 - 2011

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1768 ACADEMIC

Karl-Heinz Ziegler

Born 1934

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1772 HANDBALL

Peter Kretzschmar

1932 - 2018

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1791 PAINTER

Arnd Schultheiß

Born 1930

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1796 MUSIC

Andreas Schröder (Kirchenmusiker)

Born 1939

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1835 EDUCATION

Meinhart Volkamer

Born 1936

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1855 ACADEMIC

Peter Poscharsky

1932 - 2016

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1876 ARTIST

Karlheinz Kuhn

1930 - 2001

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1877 CINEMA

Manfred Romboy

Born 1936

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1903 SPORT

Günter Grünwald (Radsportler)

1935 - 1992

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1909 ORIENTALIST

Einar von Schuler

1930 - 1990

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1923 POLITICIAN

Eckhardt Barthel

Born 1939

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1933 LIBRARIAN

Gottfried Rost

1931 - 2000

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1934 AUTHOR

Siegfried Rüger

1933 - 2007

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1935 COMPOSER

Klaus Hertel

Born 1936

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1940 MILITAR

Günter Hiemann

Born 1930

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1946 DESIGNER

Jochen Bertholdt

Born 1936

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1950 ACADEMIC

Gerhard Schlimpert

1930 - 1991

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1963 HISTORIAN

Hans-Jochen Markmann

1930 - 2010

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1979 ACADEMIC

Jürgen Läuter

Born 1935

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1985 WRITER

Wolfgang Licht

Born 1938

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1991 SCULPTOR

Harry Müller

1930 - 2020

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2039 MUSIC

Werner Seltmann

Born 1930

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2045 ACADEMIC

Heinrich Siedentopf (Rechtswissenschaftler) – Wi

1938 - 2014

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2047 POET

Gert Zeising

Born 1936

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2048 PATHOLOGIST

Karl Donath (Mediziner)

1935 - 2010

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2050 CHEMIST

Helmut Wenck

Born 1935

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2052 WRITER

Stephan-Lutz Tobatzsch

1933 - 2011

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2065 ACTOR

Heinz Lyschik

1938 - 2004

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2092 ACADEMIC

Hilmar Fenge

Born 1931

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2102 WRITER

Waltraud Ahrndt

1933 - 1999

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2105 GEOLOGIST

Franz Kockel

1934 - 2015

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2113 HISTORIAN

Eva Seeber

Born 1932

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2124 PHYSICIST

Gert Wangermann

1934 - 2014

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2127 SURGEON

Joachim Bennek

1937 - 2019

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2147 ART HISTORIAN

Dieter Gleisberg

Born 1937

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2152 COMPOSER

Hans Knauer (Entertainer)

1932 - 2015

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2169 PHYSICIAN

Otto Arndt Liebisch

1935 - 2009

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2182 ACADEMIC

Wolfgang Brekle

1930 - 2019

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2187 PIANIST

Johannes Fischer (Pianist)

1936 - 2019

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2201 JUDGE

Alexander Gagel

1933 - 2019

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2210 PHYSICIST

Konrad Unger (Physiker)

1934 - 2014

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2219 ARCHAEOLOGIST

Leo Trümpelmann

1931 - 1989

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2238 PHYSICIST

Till Kirsten

Born 1937

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2240 ACADEMIC

Bodo Teichmann

Born 1932

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2245 PHYSICIST

Wolfgang Weller (Physiker)

1932 - 2006

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2247 DERMATOLOGIST

Jürgen Schwalm

Born 1932

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2256 POLITICIAN

Wolfgang Sieler

1930 - 2001

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2274 PRINTMAKER

Christian Diener (Grafiker)

1937 - 2016

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2297 HISTORIAN

Günter Poethke

Born 1939

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2300 THEOLOGE

Horst Balz

Born 1937

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2311 ADMIRAL

Klaus Kahnt

1934 - 2015

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2324 ACADEMIC

Winfried Baumberger

Born 1938

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2369 MUSIC

Guntram Altnöder

1936 - 2005

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2382 BIOCHEMIST

Thea Derado

Born 1936

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2391 MINISTERIUM

Alfred Kleine

Born 1930

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2403 ACADEMIC

Friedrich Kamprad

1939 - 2008

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2421 AUTHOR

Manfred Günther (Ingenieur)

Born 1935

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2431 ART HISTORIAN

Heiner Protzmann

Born 1935

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2432 ACADEMIC

Ernst Pfeffer

1939 - 2017

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2436 ARCHITECT

Winfried Köhler

Born 1930

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2442 PUPPETEER

Frieder Simon

1936 - 2020

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2449 CHEMIST

Karl Bredereck

Born 1935

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2450 ARTIST

Ludwig Ehrler

1939 - 2014

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2459 KUNST

Rainer Behrends (Kustos)

Born 1937

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2475 SURGEON

Matthias Jaeger

Born 1937

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2481 ZOOLOGIST

Klaus Odening

Born 1932

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2502 AUTHOR

Dieter Langguth

Born 1937

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2504 MATHEMATICIAN

Volker Mammitzsch

Born 1938

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2508 POLITICIAN

Helga Otto

Born 1938

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2545 ECOLOGIST

Dieter Kabisch

1931 - 1999

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2546 SCHOLAR

Christine Downing

Born 1931

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2549 CHEMIST

Rudolf Münze

1930 - 2020

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2552 MANAGER

Horst Saalbach

Born 1938

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2555 ACADEMIC

Hagen Bächler

Born 1931

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2556 POLITICIAN

Eva Brandes

Born 1938

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2570 PAINTER

Helga Kaffke

1934 - 2017

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2578 MUSIC

Hans Joachim Köhler (Musikwissenschaftler) – Wi

Born 1936

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2601 POLITICIAN

Joachim von Jagow

Born 1931

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2621 PAINTER

Horst Räcke

1934 - 2007

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2625 POLITICIAN

Claus-Peter Kedenburg

1935 - 2016

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2628 COMPOSER

Alexander Meyer von Bremen

1930 - 2002

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2634 POLITICIAN

Andreas Weichelt

Born 1936

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2649 PSYCHOLOGIST

Jacob Lomranz

Born 1937

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2655 FOOTBALL

Dieter Sommer

Born 1937

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2734 POLITICIAN

Manfred Brendel

Born 1939

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2738 PHILOSOPHER

Dieter Kirchhöfer

1936 - 2017

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2739 MINISTERIUM

Karl-Heinz Herbrich

Born 1937

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2777 ACADEMIC

Gert Naue

Born 1934

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2782 POLITICIAN

Klaus Fehrmann

1935 - 2003

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2789 ARCHITECT

Peter Weber (Architekt)

Born 1939

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2802 ACADEMIC

Wolfgang Fenner

Born 1934

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2805 CARICATURIST

Arne Leihberg

1934 - 1999

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2835 INTERPRETER

Willi Damm

1930 - 2012

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2846 POLITICIAN

Klaus Hilbig

1930 - 1986

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2852 OPERA

Achim Wichert

1934 - 2008

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2853 MINISTER

Brigitte Frauendorf

1937 - 1949

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2863 PSYCHIATRIST

Horst Böttger (Mediziner)

Born 1939

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2866 FENCER

Hans-Peter Schulze

Born 1939

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2923 HOCKEY

Axel Thieme

Born 1939

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2932 ACADEMIC

Gerhard Sörgel

Born 1935

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2934 DIPLOMAT

Klaus Wolf (Diplomat)

1934 - 2019

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2961 WRITER

Hanns Ullstein jun.

Born 1937

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2967 POLITICIAN

Kurt Löffler

Born 1932

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3001 ATHLETIC

Erika Raue

Born 1938

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3024 VATER

Jürgen Thomas (Flugzeugkonstrukteur)

Born 1937

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3026 POLITICIAN

Fritz Brock

1931 - 2014

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3031 ACADEMIC

Günter Stein (Ingenieur)

Born 1938

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3032 DIPLOMAT

Johannes Schöche

Born 1937

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3045 ARBEITER

Dieter Teich

1934 - 1953

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3053 PIANIST

Manfred Reinelt

1932 - 1964

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3077 POLITICIAN

Karl-Heinz Wolf (Politiker)

Born 1930

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3081 POLITICIAN

Brigitte Oltmanns

1934 - 2013

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3096 POLITICIAN

Klaus Häßler

1935 - 2008

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3112 MISSING

Wolfram Gottfried

Born 1931

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3117 ATHLETIC

Günter Lein

Born 1932

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3133 POLITICIAN

Klaus Pille

1936 - 2017

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3135 MINISTERIUM

Lothar Wellschmied

Born 1936

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3138 POLITICIAN

Werner Wünschmann

Born 1930

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3156 JOURNALIST

Diethard Wend

1932 - 2020

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3191 PHYSICIAN

Rudolf Burkhardt (Mediziner)

1930 - 2001

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