German Info: Saxony Baroque Meets High Tech

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Minister President Georg Milbradt

"The opening of East Germany originated in Saxony in the autumn of 1989. The call for freedom culminated in the desire for the reunification of Germany. The Americans shared the joy and excitement of this happy moment in history. They committed themselves to the freedom and self-determination of the German people as they did for their own. That is something that we Germans will never forget." Minister President Georg Milbradt.

Prof. Dr. Georg Milbradt, born in Eslohe/Westphalia on February 23, 1945, grew up in Dortmund.

He studied Economics, Law and Mathematics at the University of Münster, where he graduated and earned a Doctorate (summa cum laude). From 1970 to 1980, he was assistant lecturer at the University of Münster’s Institute of Public Finance. Between 1981 and 1983 he held an interim professorship at the University of Mainz.
In 1983, Georg Milbradt went into local government, being elected City Treasurer of Münster. His sound budget and economic policy earned him the Iron Penny Award and Münster the distinction as “Most Business-Friendly City” by the German business magazine “Wirtschaftswoche”. In November 1990, shortly after German reunification, Georg Milbradt was appointed Minister of Finance of the newly founded Free State of Saxony in East Germany. During the following decade, his prudent fiscal policy laid the groundwork for Saxony’s success as a leading European high-tech region.

Since April 18, 2002, Georg Milbradt has been Minister-President of Saxony. The “Wirtschaftswoche” awarded him the title “Minister-President of the Year” in 2004. Throughout his political career, Georg Milbradt kept his affiliation with the University of Münster. Since 1985, he has been Extraordinary Professor at the Economics department. In his lectures and seminars as well as in numerous public appearances, he draws on his first-hand experience as an economist-turned-politician.

Georg Milbradt has been a member of the Christian-Democratic Party (CDU) since 1973. In September 2001, he was elected Chairman of its Saxon division. Since 1994, he also has been Member of the Saxon State Parliament for his constituency Western Lusatia I. Georg Milbradt is Roman-Catholic. He has been married to his wife Angelika since 1975. The Milbradts have two sons.