Helmut KohlHelmut Kohl, the chancellor who presided over both German reunification and the creation of the eurozone, has died aged 87.
Kohl was a towering figure of European politics in the second half of the 20th century, serving as Germany’s chancellor for a record 16 years from from 1982 to 1998.
A photograph showing Kohl holding hands with French president François Mitterrand at the Douaumont cemetery in Verdun became the defining symbol of Franco-German conciliation after decades of bloody conflict between the two countries.
The gesture was made even more poignant by the fact that Mitterrand himself had been injured at Verdun in the second world war while Kohl had lost a brother in the same conflict.
Helmut Kohl: Know More - Born: 3 April 1930, Ludwigshafen, Germany
- Died: 16 June 2017, Ludwigshafen, Germany
- Spouse: Maike Richter (m. 2008–2017), Hannelore Kohl (m. 1960–2001)
- Major Books: Der Weg zur Wende
