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What Would Helmut Schmidt Say About It?

Name: What Would Helmut Schmidt Say About It?
Start: 2026-11-13T19:30:00+01:00
End: 2026-11-13T23:59:00+01:00
Location: Johannes-Brahms-Platz, 20355 Hamburg, Germany

Johannes-Brahms-Platz, 20355 Hamburg, Germany
Hamburg, Germany
Fri, November 13, 2026 (7:30 pm - 11:59 pm)

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Description

WHAT WOULD HELMUT SCHMIDT SAY ABOUT IT?
An evening with Giovanni di Lorenzo, Thomas Karlauf, Sandra Maischberger, and Peer Steinbrück "Willpower is needed. And cigarettes": Many of us are sometimes struck by the question, given the current global situation, how Helmut Schmidt would assess the current state of affairs. Four of his companions have also wondered this. In intimate portraits, Thomas Karlauf, Giovanni di Lorenzo, Sandra Maischberger, and Peer Steinbrück tell in their book "What Would Helmut Schmidt Say About It? And What He Really Said" (Berlin Verlag) about their memories of the Chancellor a. D.: as his editor and biographer, as editor-in-chief of ZEIT, as a counterpart on television, as a party comrade. In a conversation they held on the occasion of his tenth death anniversary in autumn 2025, the four discussed how Schmidt would see the world today, as many people miss him – as a moral and political compass in turbulent times. Thomas Karlauf oversaw Schmidt's book projects and wrote the biography "Helmut Schmidt – The Later Years." ZEIT editor-in-chief Giovanni di Lorenzo worked closely with the ZEIT publisher and conducted the legendary cigarette talks with him. TV journalist Sandra Maischberger had Schmidt as a guest many times on her show and made the documentary "Helmut Schmidt Out of Office." The former Federal Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück worked for Schmidt in the Chancellery for three years and is now chairman of the board of the Helmut Schmidt Foundation. In cooperation with Berlin Verlag.

Highlights

Evening with Giovanni di Lorenzo, Thomas Karlauf, Sandra Maischberger, and Peer Steinbrück
Discussion about Helmut Schmidt's view of the modern world
On the occasion of his tenth death anniversary in autumn 2025

General Information

The event takes place at Laeiszhalle in Hamburg and addresses the question of how Helmut Schmidt would assess the current global situation. Four companions of the former chancellor share their memories and discuss his role as a moral compass in turbulent times.