Arnold Friedrich


Arnold Friedrich is a German former municipal politician, public administrator and a contemporary witness to the Division of Germany and German reunification. He served as mayor of the municipality of Töpen in the district of Hof in Bavaria, from 1979 to 2008 and is known for his role in the preservation and development of Mödlareuth, a village divided during the Cold War by the Inner German border. He is a co-founder of the, and long-time chairman of the museum’s sponsoring association.

Early Life

The foundation of both the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic in 1949 established the Inner German Border. Arnold Friedrich grew up in Töpen, Upper Franconia, a municipality located directly on the demarcation line between Bavaria and Thuringia. From 1952 to 1966, Töpen was one of the few zonal border crossing points for transit traffic between Bavaria and West Berlin, a circumstance that influenced Friedrich’s early experiences of Germany’s division.
He attended primary school in Töpen and subsequently completed his secondary education in the nearby town of Hof. After leaving school with the Mittlere Reife, Friedrich completed a full apprenticeship as a heating and ventilation systems technician, qualifying in a skilled trade before entering public service.

Career

From 1967 to 1975, Friedrich served with the GSA I/2 of the Bundesgrenzschutz. His duties included patrol service and border postings within the zone 30 kilometres deep along the 'three-states' border region, extending as far as Bad Steben, in the immediate vicinity of his home village.
After completing his service with the Federal Border Protection, Friedrich transferred to the Bavarian internal administrative service and became chief administrative officer of the municipality of Köditz in the district of Hof.
In 1978, he began his local political career as a member of the municipal council, and one year later, at the age of 31, he was elected mayor of the municipality of Töpen. Friedrich focused his primary efforts on village renewal, the improvement of the local infrastructure, and attracting commercial enterprises. During his term of office, a modernized sewage system was constructed in the villages of Töpen and Isaar. Together with the municipality of Feilitzsch, the reliable supply of drinking water was secured through the development of new high-yield wells and the connection to the Upper Franconia long-distance water supply system.
In 1992, Friedrich transferred to the Thuringian administrative service and became chief administrative officer of the town of Gefell. In 2002, he did not stand for re-election and, upon his retirement from office, was appointed honorary citizen and honorary former mayor of Töpen.

Role in Mödlareuth

The Bavarian part of the formerly divided village of Mödlareuth also belongs to the municipality of Töpen. As a symbol of German division, the so-called Little Berlin was a focal point of media and political attention. As host mayor, Friedrich personally welcomed many national and international figures. Among the numerous visitors were, among others, George H. W. Bush, Otto von Habsburg, Karl Carstens, Helmut Kohl, Manfred Wörner, Georg Freiherr von Waldenfels, and Anna Fisher.
Friedrich was among the co-organisers of the candlelight demonstration in the western part of Mödlareuth on December 5, 1989, which aimed to promote the opening of the wall in Mödlareuth. Construction work began on December 7, and on December 9 an official pedestrian border crossing was established.
On June 17, 1990, Friedrich and his Thuringian counterpart oversaw the partial removal of the Mödlareuth wall during an event commemorating the former national holiday of the Federal Republic of Germany. This event, which was not coordinated with authorities or security forces, preceded efforts by Friedrich and filmmaker Arndt Schaffner to document the division of the village and to advocate for the partial preservation of the border installations. Together, they began establishing the German-German Museum in autumn 1990, with Schaffner assuming directorship and Friedrich taking on the chairmanship of the sponsoring association. The museum officially opened in 1994.
As chief administrative officer of the town of Gefell — since 1998, the Thuringian part of Mödlareuth belongs to Gefell — he was responsible for Mödlareuth both as honorary mayor on the Bavarian side and as chief administrator on the Thuringian side.
Despite public subsidies, the sponsoring association was unable to finance the German-German Museum on a permanent basis. In January 2006, the museum’s funding was secured through the establishment of a inter-state special-purpose association, comprising the districts of Hof, Vogtland, and Saale-Orla, as well as the municipalities of Töpen and Gefell.

Awards