Römer, Hans

Swimming champion, sports official, politician

Born: 07.01.1918 in Schierstein

died: 05.02.2005 in Wiesbaden

Hans Römer was born in Schierstein on January 7, 1918. After finishing secondary school, he completed an apprenticeship as a postal clerk. Due to his sporting talent, Römer was given the opportunity to take part in the youth camp of the XI Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936 as the best athlete in Hesse in athletics. In 1937, he joined the Hermann Göring air force squadron and remained a member until 1945. At the end of the war, he was taken prisoner of war in Russia and returned to Schierstein from Siberia in 1950 with 50% war damage.

In 1954, he joined Stadtwerke Wiesbaden AG and from 1954 until his retirement in 1979, he was head of swimming operations at the ESWE swimming pool. He celebrated nationwide triumphs with the humorous artistic diving group "Die Hallenbadenten". The jumping school at Wiesbaden schools was his initiative. He was involved in the training of swimming instructors and was a member of the state examination board and the federal board of the swimming instructors' organization from 1959-82. A staunch Social Democrat, he had been a member of the Schierstein local council since 1970, which he chaired from 1971-72. He was a member of numerous Schierstein clubs and associations. For many years, he served as chairman and honorary chairman of the Schierstein gymnastics club. He chaired the local chapter of Schierstein clubs and associations, which he founded, from 1983-2000.

The city of Wiesbaden honored him in 1979 with the Silver Citizens' Medal and later with the Gold Citizens' Medal and the Sports Badge. In 1981, he received the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon. The state of Hesse honored him with the State Certificate of Honour. In 1988, he received the silver badge of honor from the Hessian Sports Association. The harbor traffic circle at Schierstein harbor is named after him (2005).

[This text was created in 2012 by Dr. Rolf Faber for the printed version of the Wiesbaden city lexicon and revised and supplemented by Lena Böschemeyer in 2023]