Kunigunde Bachl (; 29 July 1919 – 16 October 1994) was a German physician and politician who served in the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein non-consecutively from 1971 until 1987. A member of the Christian Democratic Union, she advocated for car safety while in the state parliament, and was a member of the Federal Assembly in 1974. In 1973, Bachl became the president of the

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sch ...

branch of the .

Biography

Kunigunde Bachl was born in the city of

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the J ...

on 29 July 1919. After receiving her ''

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

'' in 1938, she began studying

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

at the German Sport University Cologne, graduating the following year. On 1 September 1940, Bachl joined the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

; historian classifies her as "NS-socialized", which refers to party members who grew up after the

Nazi seizure of power Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919 when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He rose to a place of prominence in the early years of the party. Be ...

. She worked as a physical education teacher from 1940 until 1941, when she began studying medicine. She attended the University of Munich in 1942 and 1943. In 1947, Bachl graduated from the University of Marburg with a

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

degree. She later began working as an

assistant physician Assistant physician in the United States (not to be confused with a physician assistant) is a Medical Doctor ( MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine ( DO) who has graduated from a four-year medical school program and is licensed to practice in a lim ...

, and became a general practitioner in 1964. In 1969, Bachl joined the Christian Democratic Union. She was a member of the Kiel school and health committees from 1970 until 1971. In 1971, she became a member of the local CDU board and the . Bachl was elected to the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein in the on the , becoming one of five women elected to the state parliament. During this term, she was a member of the Social Committee, the Municipal Investment Fund Committee, and a special committee investigating a women's clinic in Kiel. In 1972, following an increase in car-related fatalities among young men in the state, Bachl advocated for seatbelt regulations and blamed the increase on machismo, stating that cars "must remain a means of transport and must not become a status symbol". The following year, she became a member of the state CDU board, and was named president of the Schleswig-Holstein branch of the . Bachl was a member of the 6th Federal Assembly on 15 May 1974. She left the Landtag at the end of her term on 24 May 1975. In 1977, she became the deputy chairman of the state health advisory board. On 19 January 1978, Bachl was appointed to the Landtag. She served on the Youth Committee, and left office at the end of her term on 26 May 1979. On 4 November 1980, Bachl was again appointed to the Landtag. She was re-elected in the . In both terms, she was a member of the Finance Committee and the Social Committee. Bachl left office at the end of her term on 2 October 1987. Bachl was an

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...

, and was married with three children. She died on 16 October 1994.

Honors

* Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Federal Republic of Germany (14 April 1975) * Cross of Merit 1st Class of the Federal Republic of Germany (9 August 1983)

Publications

* (

Thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bachl, Kunigunde 1919 births 1994 deaths Place of death missing Physicians from Kiel 20th-century German physicians 20th-century German women physicians German general practitioners 20th-century German educators 20th-century German women educators Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni University of Marburg alumni 20th-century German politicians 20th-century German women politicians Politicians from Kiel Christian Democratic Union of Germany politicians Nazi Party members Members of the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein Women members of state parliaments in Germany German evangelicals