Because Politics is Connected to People - A bit about my Biography:

I was born in Hamburg on July 17, 1954, but spent most of my youth in Templin, in the state of Brandenburg.  I moved to to Leipzig (from 1973-1978) to study physics.  After completing my studies, I worked as a scientific employee in the Central Institute of Physical Chemistry at the Academy of Sciences in Berlin.  More specifically, quantum chemistry was my field of research.  I was promoted to Dr. rer. nat. in 1986 after writing my thesis on the calculation of speed constants of simple hydrocarbonic reactions.

At the end of 1989, I joined the democratic movement, whose press secretary I worked as starting in February of 1990.  Following the first People's Parliament Elections on March 18, 1990, I was named as the acting government spokeswoman of the de Maziere Government.  In August of 1990, I  joined the CDU.  After being elected to the German Bundestag as a direct candidate in December of 1990, I represented the beautiful election district 15 (consisting of Stralsund, North Vorpommern, and Rügen).  Additionally, I served as the Federal Minister for Women and Youth from 1991 to 1994 and as Federal Minister for Environmental Protection and Security of Reactors from 1994 to 1998.

From December 1991 until my election as CDU Secretary-General on November 7, 1998, I served as the Acting Party Chairwoman.  On April 10, 2000, I was elected Chairwoman of the CDU Germany by the delegates of the Party Convention of Essen.  Before that, I also served as the Chairwoman of the State Association of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern CDU.

I was leader of the CDU/CSU-Parliamentary Group in the German Bundestag from September 2002 until November 2005. On November 22, 2005, I was elected the first female Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany by the CDU/CSU and SPD members of Parliament.

Whenever time permits, I enjoy my hobbies of reading, hiking, and working in the garden.