Former East German Environment Minister Hans Reichelt Dies at 99

Reichelt, a key figure in the GDR's environmental policy, passed away in Berlin after a life marked by political service and post-reunification legal battles.

• Hans Reichelt, former Minister for Environmental Protection and Water Management in East Germany, died at the age of 99 in Berlin.
• Reichelt served in the GDR government for decades, including as Minister for Land and Forestry in the 1950s and 1960s before focusing on environmental issues from 1972 to 1990.
• He resigned during the peaceful revolution of 1989-1990, as environmental degradation under the GDR regime fueled opposition movements and citizen-led environmental initiatives.
• Reichelt was working on a book about GDR environmental policies, with a planned foreword by former German Environment Minister Klaus Töpfer, but both men passed away before its completion.
• After German reunification, Reichelt unsuccessfully challenged reductions to his pension, which the courts deemed partially tied to his political loyalty to East Germany's ruling party.

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