Wibke Gertrud Bruhns (born Klamroth; 8 September 1938 – 20 June 2019) was a German journalist and author. In 1971, she was the first woman to present the news on German public television. She was a journalist for several television stations, and for the ''
Stern
The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Ori ...
'' magazine in Jerusalem and
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
She was also a speaker at
Expo 2000
Expo 2000 was a World Expo held in Hanover, Germany from 1 June to 31 October 2000. It was located on the Hanover Fairground (Messegelände Hannover), which is the largest exhibition ground in the world. Initially some 40 million people were expe ...
.
She wrote about her memories in three books: about her time as a correspondent in Israel, the
biography
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...
of her father,
Hans Georg Klamroth
Johannes "Hans" Georg Klamroth (12 October 1898, Halberstadt – 26 August 1944) was, by his knowledge of the plans through distant relatives and his son-in-law Lieutenant-Colonel , involved in the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
After t ...
, who was executed by the Nazis, and her autobiography, covering political events of decades.
Career
Education
Wibke Gertrud Klamroth was born in
Halberstadt
Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bombi ...
, one of five children of the merchant
Hans Georg Klamroth
Johannes "Hans" Georg Klamroth (12 October 1898, Halberstadt – 26 August 1944) was, by his knowledge of the plans through distant relatives and his son-in-law Lieutenant-Colonel , involved in the 20 July plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
After t ...
and his wife Else, née
Podeus. Her father knew of the
20 July plot
On 20 July 1944, Claus von Stauffenberg and other conspirators attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Führer of Nazi Germany, inside his Wolf's Lair field headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia, now Kętrzyn, in present-day Poland. The ...
to assassinate
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
and was executed on 26 August 1944.
Her mother had to raise the children alone.
Bruhns attended several boarding schools, including the Bugenhagen-Internat in
Timmendorfer Strand
Timmendorfer Strand (Timmendorf Beach) is a municipality in the district of Ostholstein, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the Bay of Lübeck (Baltic Sea), approximately northwest of Lübeck, and southeast of Eutin.
Notable Pe ...
, and a boarding school in
Plön
Plön (; Holsatian: ''Plöön'') is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and has about 8,700 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on ...
. She achieved 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 Berlin. She then lived for half a year in London, where her mother worked in the German Embassy. She then attended a Handelsschule for one year. She started to study history and politology in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
but did not complete the course.
Media
Bruhns began work in the media at age 22, for different television stations, newspapers and magazines. She became known as the first female news presenter in West German television, as moderator of the
ZDF
ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...
news program ''
heute
''heute'' (; German for ''today'') is a television news program on the German channel ZDF. The main program is broadcast at 19:00, and includes news, with an emphasis on political news from Germany, Europe and the world, plus 'mixed' news from c ...
'' from 12 May 1971.
She was a journalist for the ''
Stern
The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Ori ...
'' magazine in Jerusalem and Washington, D.C.
Bruhns lived as a freelance journalist in Berlin.
She died on 20 June 2019.
Publications
Journalism
* ''Trendwende im Nahost'' in: ''Stern,'' 12 February 1981, No. 8, p. 238.
* ''Die letzten Tage von Beirut'' in: ''Stern,'' 5 August 1982, No. 36, p. 106.
* ''Exodus in eine fremde Heimat. Rußland-Emigranten in Israel'' (with photos by Thomas Hegenbart) in: ''
GEO
Geo- is a prefix derived from the Greek word ''γη'' or ''γαια'', meaning "earth", usually in the sense of "ground or land”.
GEO or Geo may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''GEO'' (magazine), a popular scientific magazine ...
'', Hamburg, April 1992, pp. 88–104.
* ''Als sich das ZDF etwas traute'' in: ''Die Zeit'', 28 May 2009
Literature
In her first book, ''Mein Jerusalem'', published in 1982, Bruhns focused on her experiences as a correspondent for ''Stern'' in Israel. Her second book, ''Meines Vaters Land'' (''My Father's Country''), is her father's
biography
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...
, based on letters between him and his father as well as family pictures to illustrate.
Published in 2004, the book spawned much discussion. It was translated to English in 2007 and published in 2008.
Her third book, ''Nachrichtenzeit'' (News time) is an autobiography, covering both private and professional life, touching political developments of decades.
*
*
*
Other
* ''Ich bekomme ein Kind'' (with Ursula Klamroth), Falken-Verlag Erich Sicker, Wiesbaden 1969.
* ''In aller Munde: Fremdwörter. 1000 Begriffe, die uns täglich begegnen'' Schwann, Düsseldorf 1972.
*
Film
* ''Meines Vaters Land – Eine deutsche Familiengeschichte'', documentary, 45 minutes, book and direction: Gabriele Conradt and Gabriele Dennecke, production:
RBB, first airing: 3 January 2007
Awards
* 1989:
Egon Erwin Kisch Prize for her ''GEO-Reportage''
* 2006:
Friedrich-Schiedel-Literaturpreis
Bad Wurzach (until 1950 Wurzach) is a small spa town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is a well known health-resort destination, and home to the oldest bog spa (in German: ''Moorheilbad'') in Baden-Württemberg, as well ...
for ''Meines Vaters Land''
* 2007: of the (association of women journalists)
Hedwig-Dohm-Urkunde
(in German) journalistinnen.de
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruhns, Wibke
1938 births
2019 deaths
People from Halberstadt
German television journalists
20th-century German journalists
German television presenters
Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians
German women television presenters
German women television journalists
Stern (magazine) people
ZDF people
ZDF heute presenters and reporters
20th-century German women