Thiels, Angelika, née Hennig

Nurse, politician, head of the city council

Born: 02.06.1941 in Eupen (Belgium)

died: 01.11.2009 in Wiesbaden

Angelika Thiels was born as the third child of the pastor Dr. Karl Hennig and his wife Gertrud Hennig. The family - with a long theological tradition in both the paternal and maternal line - had fled to Belgium in 1939 to escape the Nazis from Leipzig, where her father was an assistant to her grandfather at the university.

In 1946, the members of the family were expelled from Belgium as unwelcome Germans. They found a new home in Stolberg in the Rhineland. From 1947 to 1952, Angelika Thiels attended elementary school there and then, until 1958, the girls' grammar school for modern languages.

She left school with her secondary school leaving certificate and attended the nursing school in Duisburg, where she graduated as a nurse. In 1961, she trained as a surgical nurse and worked in this profession until 1966. In 1963, she married Dietmar Thiels; they had three children.

In 1979, she moved to Wiesbaden, where her husband was elected head of the city planning department. From 1981 to 1998, she worked at the Asklepios Paulinen Clinic.

In 1976, Angelika Thiels joined the CDU in Wiesbaden. In 1985, she was elected head of the south-east district and chairwoman of the south-east district group.

In 1989, she was elected to the city council for the first time. She became spokesperson for women's and health policy for the CDU parliamentary group, a member of the "Social Affairs and Health" working group, a member of the "Clinics, Health Resorts and Congresses" committee, Chairwoman of the Women's Affairs Committee and also served as Deputy Chairwoman of the South-East Local Advisory Council. Angelika Thiels was re-elected to the city parliament in 1993, 1997, 2001 and 2005. There she continued to be the CDU's spokesperson for women's and health policy, as well as chairing the committee for women's affairs and again chairing the local advisory council for her south-east district. In 1997, she was elected as deputy head of the city council and thus became a member of the Committee of Elders. In 2001, the city parliament elected her as the first female head of the city council, a position she held until her death. She was characterized by her humanity and warmth of heart.

Angelika Thiels was involved in numerous associations, including the district board of the DRK. She was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit for her services in 2007.

Since 2011, the Wiesbaden Youth Parliament has awarded the Angelika Thiels Prize in memory of the local politician, which is divided into an honorary prize and a sponsorship prize. The prize is awarded to citizens of Wiesbaden who are particularly committed to the interests of young people and the Youth Parliament, as well as initiatives and projects that promote the participation of young people in Wiesbaden.