Christel Augenstein (born 15 July 1949 in

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...

, Germany) is a member of the Free Democratic Party. From 2001 until 23 July 2009 she was the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Pforzheim Pforzheim () is a city of over 125,000 inhabitants in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg, in the southwest of Germany. It is known for its jewelry and watch-making industry, and as such has gained the nickname "Goldstadt" ("Golden City") ...

, Germany, making her the city's first woman mayor. When the city of Pforzheim had already been in a bad financial position she took over the mayor's office from Joachim Becker (

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been t ...

) and tried her best to maneuver out. Becker was the ruling mayor of Pforzheim from 1985 until 2000. The current major is Peter Boch of the

Christian Democratic Union of Germany The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (german: link=no, Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands ; CDU ) is a Christian democratic and liberal conservative political party in Germany. It is the major catch-all party of the centre-right ...

References

Free Democratic Party (Germany) politicians Living people 1949 births Women mayors of places in Germany Politicians from Erfurt 21st-century German women politicians Mayors of places in Baden-Württemberg {{Germany-FDP-politician-stub