Helma Orosz (; born 11 May 1953, in Görlitz) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

and member of the CDU. She was the Saxon State Minister for Social Affairs between 2003 and 2008 and '' Oberbürgermeister'' ( Lord Mayor) of

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

from 2008 to 2015.

Administrative work

Orosz worked as assistant director of a nursery school in Weißwasser since the 1970s. In 1989 she became leader of the district nursery school association, and in 1990 she was appointed head of Weißwasser district's department of health and social services. She kept that position when the district was merged into the Niederschlesischer Oberlausitzkreis.

Political career

Orosz joined the CDU in 2000. She was elected mayor of Weißwasser in 2001. Saxon

minister president A minister-president or minister president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments with a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government where they preside over the council of ministers. I ...

Georg Milbradt Georg Milbradt (born 23 February 1945) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who served as Minister-President of Saxony from 2002 to 2008. Early life Milbradt was born in Eslohe. His family originally was from Wągrowie ...

appointed her minister of social affairs in 2003. In 2008 Orosz was elected mayor of

as a first woman in that function. She received 47.61% of the vote on the first ballot and 64% on the second ballot. Orosz campaigned as a representative of the progressive "urbane" wing of the CDU, in line with mayors Petra Roth of

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...

and

Ole von Beust Ole von Beust (born 13 April 1955) is a former German politician who was First Mayor of Hamburg from 31 October 2001 to 25 August 2010, serving as President of the Bundesrat from 1 November 2007 on for one year. He was succeeded as mayor by C ...

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. Orosz supported the construction of the

Waldschlösschen Bridge The Waldschlösschen Bridge (german: Waldschlößchenbrücke or Waldschlösschenbrücke, links=no) is a road bridge across the Elbe river in Dresden. The bridge was intended to remedy inner-city traffic congestion. Its construction was highly con ...

which cost Dresden its status as a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. As a protest against the bridge artist Erika Lust in 2009 created a painting which depicted a bare-breasted Orosz in front of the bridge. Orosz obtained a preliminary injunction against public display of the painting, but the Higher Regional Court of Dresden judged the

artistic freedom Artistic freedom (or freedom of artistic expression) can be defined as "the freedom to imagine, create and distribute diverse cultural expressions free of governmental censorship, political interference or the pressures of non-state actors." Gener ...

and the artist's

freedom of expression Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recog ...

more important than Orosz'

personal rights Personal rights are the rights that a person has over their own body. In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Personal Rights are defined as "rights (as of personal security, personal liberty, and private property) appertaining to the person". Among pe ...

. Orosz did not appeal to the

Federal Constitutional Court The Federal Constitutional Court (german: link=no, Bundesverfassungsgericht ; abbreviated: ) is the supreme constitutional court for the Federal Republic of Germany, established by the constitution or Basic Law () of Germany. Since its in ...

. In 2011 Orosz was diagnosed with

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a r ...

. She received medical treatment for ten months and re-assumed her duties in March 2012.

Other activities

Konrad Adenauer Foundation The Konrad Adenauer Foundation (german: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, KAS) is a German political party foundation associated with but independent of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The foundation's headquarters are located in Sank ...

(KAS), Member of the Board of TrusteesBoard of Trustees

References

External links

Web page of the Mayor of Dresden
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orosz, Helma 1953 births Living people German people of Hungarian descent People from Görlitz Christian Democratic Union of Germany politicians Ministers of the Saxony State Government Members of the Landtag of Saxony Mayors of Dresden Women ministers of State Governments in Germany Women mayors of places in Germany 21st-century German women politicians Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Free State of Saxony