Germany: Funeral for hero ex-president Weizsäcker

FORMER German president ­Richard von Weizsäcker was laid to rest in a state funeral in Berlin yesterday.

Richard von Weizsäcker urged Germans to face up to Nazism. Picture: AFP

Mr Weizsäcker, who died last month aged 94, was Germany’s head of state from 1984 to 1994, presiding over reunification.

A former soldier who fought in the Second World War, he is best remembered for persuading Germany to confront its Nazi past.

He was mayor of Berlin before being elected president. A member of one of Germany’s aristocratic families, Mr Weizsäcker rose to Germany’s highest if largely ceremonial office which he held for a decade. His speech marking the 40th anniversary of the end of the war won him widespread praise and respect.