Overview

• Thiele’s 2021 death left an estimated €15 billion fortune that his widow, Nadia Thiele, and his children from different marriages disputed over executor fees and inheritance shares.
• Disputes focused on executor Robin Brühmüller’s appointment and his potential remuneration of over €200 million, which Nadia Thiele unsuccessfully sought to block through legal appeals.
• A December 2024 settlement transferred controlling stakes in Knorr-Bremse (58.99 percent) and Vossloh (50.09 percent) to the Heinz Hermann Thiele Family Foundation.
• In April 2025 the foundation remitted almost €4 billion to Finanzamt Kaufbeuren, marking one of the highest inheritance tax payments ever recorded in Germany.
• The tax proceeds will be allocated to Bavaria and redistributed among other federal states via the Länderfinanzausgleich to support less affluent regions.