Günther Wyschofsky
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Günther Wyschofsky (born 8 May 1929 in
Bischofswerda Bischofswerda (; ) is a small town in eastern Germany at the western edge of Upper Lusatia in Saxony. Geography The town is located 33 km to the east of Dresden at the edge of the Upper Lusatian mountain country. The town is known as t ...
) is a former politician and official in the
German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
. He became a member of the powerful Central Committee of the country's ruling Socialist Unity Party in 1964. For more than two decades he also served as junior Minister for the Chemicals Industry.


Life

Günther Wyschofsky was born in
Bischofswerda Bischofswerda (; ) is a small town in eastern Germany at the western edge of Upper Lusatia in Saxony. Geography The town is located 33 km to the east of Dresden at the edge of the Upper Lusatian mountain country. The town is known as t ...
, a small industrial town in
Upper Lusatia Upper Lusatia (, ; , ; ; or ''Milsko''; ) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the north, it makes up the region of Lusatia, named after the Polabian Slavs, Slavic ''Lusici'' tribe. Both parts of Lusatia a ...
in then southern part of what was then Central Germany, and some 20 km (12 miles) from the frontier with the republic of
Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
, established slightly more than a decade before his birth. His father was a
baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...
and
confectioner Confectionery is the art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two broad and somewh ...
who lost his job during the economic crisis of the 1920s and had joined the Communist Party (KPD) before 1933. His mother worked as a glass maker. He left school aged 14, at the height of the
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
, and undertook a training as a laboratory technician and pharmacist, after which he used his training professionally, working in
Bischofswerda Bischofswerda (; ) is a small town in eastern Germany at the western edge of Upper Lusatia in Saxony. Geography The town is located 33 km to the east of Dresden at the edge of the Upper Lusatian mountain country. The town is known as t ...
and nearby in
Bautzen Bautzen () or Budyšin (), until 1868 ''Budissin'' in German, is a town in eastern Saxony, Germany, and the administrative centre of the Bautzen (district), district of Bautzen. It is located on the Spree (river), Spree river, is the eighth most ...
. The war ended in May 1945 which put an end to one-
Party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will oft ...
government. Wyschofsky joined the Communist Party. The next year, in April 1946 the contentious merger between the old Communist Party and the Moderate-left
SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany ( , SPD ) is a social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the party's leader since the 2019 leadership election together wi ...
created the precondition for a return to one-
party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will oft ...
rule, this time under Soviet administration across the whole of what was now the
Soviet occupation zone The Soviet occupation zone in Germany ( or , ; ) was an area of Germany that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a communist area, established as a result of the Potsdam Agreement on 2 August 1945. On 7 October 1949 the German Democratic Republ ...
in what remained of Germany. Wyschofsky was one of thousands of former Communists who now lost no time in signing their membership over to the new
Socialist Unity Party The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (, ; SED, ) was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from the country's foundation in 1949 until its dissolution after the Peaceful Revolution in 1989. It was a Ma ...
(''Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands'', SED). Between 1946 and 1948 he pursued his studies at the Workers' and Farmers' Faculty (ABF / ') in Halle. Next he studied
Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...
at the
Dresden University of Technology TU Dresden (for , abbreviated as TUD), also as the Dresden University of Technology, is a public research university in Dresden, Germany. It is the largest institute of higher education in the city of Dresden, the largest university in Saxony a ...
and at the Karl-Marx University (as it was then known) in
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
, obtaining his degree in 1951. He then worked as an industrial chemist, till 1953 heading up the research laboratories at VEB Plastics in
Espenhain Espenhain is a village and a former municipality in the Leipzig district, in Saxony, Germany. On 1 August 2015 it was merged into the town Rötha.brown coal Lignite (derived from Latin ''lignum'' meaning 'wood'), often referred to as brown coal, is a soft, brown, Combustion, combustible sedimentary rock formed from naturally compressed peat. It has a carbon content around 25–35% and is considered ...
" mining area. Between 1953 and 1957 he worked for the Party Central Committee at a national level as an instructor and section leader in the Chemistry division of its Basic Industries Department. At this stage he was selected for a year of study at the Karl Marx Party Academy, after which in 1958 he returned to working as an official of the Party Central Committee, now as deputy department head for Mining, Coal, Energy and Chemistry. In 1959 he was promoted to the Headship of the Basic Industries Department for the Party Central Committee. That job lasted to 1962 when he was again promoted, now becoming Deputy President and Head of the Chemistry Planning department of the State Planning Commission. In May 1966 Wyschofsky was appointed Minister for the Chemicals Industry in succession to who fell out of favour that year on account of his "inappropriate behaviour". Wyschofsky himself retained this ministerial post for more than twenty years, till November 1989 and the resignation of the Stoph government. The
constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...
of the country was closely modeled on that of the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, and insisted on the leading role of The Party. Government Ministers held their posts at the pleasure of The Party and their job was to carry out The Party Central Committee decisions. Potential tensions arising from this situation were reduced by the fact that many ministers were also members of the Party Central Committee. Günther Wyschofsky was listed as a candidate for membership in January 1963, and after a wait of less than two years was elected one of the approximately 121 members of the Central Committee in December 1964. Later he was also Chairman, for the East German side, in the bilateral Economic Committees of the German Democratic Republic with
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
and with
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
.Neues Deutschland 9 July 1989 Wyschofsky period in office saw the construction or massive expansion of several major industrial facilities that nearly half a century later are still important facilities in their respective sectors. These include the vast Petro-chemicals facility in
Schwedt Schwedt (or Schwedt/Oder; ) is a town in Brandenburg, in northeastern Germany. With the official status of a ''Große Kreisstadt, Große kreisangehörige Stadt'' (major district town), it is the largest town of the Uckermark (district), Uckermark ...
, the second refinery at
Leuna Leuna () is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, eastern Germany, south of Merseburg and Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, Halle, on the river Saale. The town is known for the ''Leuna works, Leunawerke'', at 13 km2 one of the biggest chemical industrial complexes i ...
and the extended adhesives plant at Piesteritz. On the other hand there were other less prestigious Chemicals plants which were left to deteriorate because the larger high-profile "beacon" facilities absorbed all the available investment capital. He often found himself torn between insights deriving from his own expertise and the strictures of party discipline. With Wyschofsky it was always party discipline that won. 1990, the year of
German reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...
, was also the year in which Günther Wyschofsky took early retirement. He returned to live in
Bischofswerda Bischofswerda (; ) is a small town in eastern Germany at the western edge of Upper Lusatia in Saxony. Geography The town is located 33 km to the east of Dresden at the edge of the Upper Lusatian mountain country. The town is known as t ...
.


Awards and honours

*1960
Patriotic Order of Merit The Patriotic Order of Merit (German: ''Vaterländischer Verdienstorden'', or VVO) was a national award granted annually in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was founded in 1954 and was awarded to individuals and institutions for outstanding ...
in Bronze *1964
Banner of Labor The Banner of Labor () was an order issued in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was given for "excellent and long-standing service in strengthening and consolidating the GDR, especially for achieving outstanding results for the national ec ...
*1970
Patriotic Order of Merit The Patriotic Order of Merit (German: ''Vaterländischer Verdienstorden'', or VVO) was a national award granted annually in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was founded in 1954 and was awarded to individuals and institutions for outstanding ...
in Silver *1974 Distinguished Service Medal of the National People's Army *1977 Honoured Chemical Worker *1979
Patriotic Order of Merit The Patriotic Order of Merit (German: ''Vaterländischer Verdienstorden'', or VVO) was a national award granted annually in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was founded in 1954 and was awarded to individuals and institutions for outstanding ...
in Gold *1984
Patriotic Order of Merit The Patriotic Order of Merit (German: ''Vaterländischer Verdienstorden'', or VVO) was a national award granted annually in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was founded in 1954 and was awarded to individuals and institutions for outstanding ...
Gold clasp *1984
Honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
of the "Carl Schorlemmer" Technical Academy ( Leuna-Merseburg) *1989
Order of Karl Marx The Order of Karl Marx () was the most important order in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The award of the order also included a prize of 20,000 East German marks. The order was founded on May 5, 1953 on the occasion of Karl Marx's 135th ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wyschofsky, Gunther 1929 births Living people People from Bischofswerda Communist Party of Germany members Members of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany Government ministers of East Germany 20th-century German chemists Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit (honor clasp) Recipients of the Banner of Labor