Honorary citizen Carl H. Hahn

Long-time VW manager Carl Horst Hahn was born in Chemnitz on 1 July 1926. His father, Carl Hahn Senior, was involved in the early days of the German automotive industry and was one of the co-founders of Auto Union AG in Chemnitz in 1932, which emerged from the merger of the brands Audi, the automotive division of Wanderer-Werke, Horch and DKW. The family's close connection to the automotive industry influenced Carl Horst Hahn from an early age.</p

Hahn spent the early years of his life in Zschopau in the immediate vicinity of the DKW factory. In 1934, the family moved to Chemnitz to what is now Villa Hahn in Händelstraße. Here he attended what was then the Realgymnasium, now the Georgius Agricola Gymnasium, and spent the formative years of his youth before the Second World War fundamentally changed his life.</p

Towards the end of the Second World War, Carl Horst Hahn was deployed as an anti-aircraft gunner. The air raids on Chemnitz in March 1945 destroyed the family home. Shortly before the end of the war, the family fled from the advancing Red Army and made a new start after the war.</p

After leaving school, Carl H. Hahn studied economics in Germany, Switzerland and England as well as political science in France. After obtaining his doctorate in political science, he studied Italian and art history in Italy.</p

Hahn began his professional career in 1953 at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris. Just one year later, he moved to Volkswagenwerk GmbH in Wolfsburg. As head of "Volkswagen of America", he successfully established the brand on the American market and drove forward the company's international orientation. After his return to Germany in 1965, he became a member of the Board of Management of Volkswagenwerk AG.</p

<p>After nine years, he moved to Continental Gummi-Werke AG in Hanover, which developed into a leading global supplier of tyre and technical rubber products under his leadership.

In 1982, Hahn returned to Volkswagen AG as Chairman of the Board of Management and held this position until his retirement in 1992. During this time, Carl H. Hahn had a decisive influence on the development of the Group. Under his leadership, new production facilities were built in Europe and China, making Volkswagen one of the largest car manufacturers in the world.</p

After the reunification of Germany, he was particularly keen to strengthen the industrial sites of his old homeland and make a fresh start at the old production sites of the automotive industry in Zwickau and Chemnitz. Thanks to his outstanding commitment, it was possible to reconnect with the region's rich industrial history and lay the foundations for successful innovations.</p

In 1960, Carl Horst Hahn married Marisa Traina. They had four children together and later established the Carl and Marisa Hahn Foundation. To this day, the foundation supports educational, cultural and social projects in various regions of Germany, particularly in Chemnitz and Zwickau.</p

On 9 June 1994, the city of Chemnitz made Carl Horst Hahn an honorary citizen. His commitment to the economic reconstruction of the region after reunification was particularly decisive. Thanks to his initiative as Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, significant investments were made in Chemnitz and Mosel, creating numerous jobs and revitalising the automotive industry in Saxony. Hahn thus made a significant contribution to the development and good reputation of his home city.

In addition to numerous international honours and honorary doctorates, Hahn was involved in business, science and society. He remained closely associated with Chemnitz until his death on 14 January 2023 and is still considered one of the most important figures in Saxony's industrial history.</p