Kurt Landauer (28 July 1884 in Planegg (close to Munich) – 21 December 1961 in Munich). His profession is generally termed as "merchant", but his claim to fame are his three tenures as the president of the football club FC Bayern Munich. To date he remains the president with the longest time in office.
Landauer joined Bayern in 1901 as a player still in his youth. He had to leave for Lausanne shortly afterwards, but returned to Munich in 1905. In 1913 he was elected president of the club for the first time but the war ended his tenure already in 1914. When Landauer returned to Munich after the war he was elected for a second tenure as president. This one lasted until 1933 with a one-year intermission in 1921–22.[1] he was the first to take the club to national championship honours, when Bayern defeated Eintracht Frankfurt in the final of 1932. Again Landauer was forced to leave the club due to political events. The rise of the Nazis to power made him resign office on 22 March 1933 .[1]
Being Jewish, Landauer was arrested by the Nazis on 10 November 1938 and carried to KZ Dachau. Due to his being a soldier in the World War I he was allowed to leave Dachau after 33 days under arrest. He emigrated to Switzerland on 15 March 1939. All but one of his brethren were afterwards murdered by Nazis.[1] In 1940 Bayern Munich went to Geneva for a friendly against the Swiss national team. When the players spotted Landauer, who was amongst the spectators they went to greet their former president. The Gestapo was not amsused and threatened that this behaviour would have consequences.[2]
In 1947 Landauer returned a third time to Munich and was once again appointed club president. This tenure lasted until 1951 when he was not elected again. Landauer died on 21 December 1961 in Munich.[1]
Up to now he is the club's president with the longest accumulated tenure, Wilhelm Neudecker (†) (1962–79), widely considered as the "father of the modern FC Bayern", and Franz Beckenbauer (since 1994) being the ones with the longest periods in office after him.
References
- ^ a b c d "Club honours visionary former president". FC Bayern Munich official website. 29 July 2009. http://www.fcbayern.t-home.de/en/news/news/2009/20203.php. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- ^ "Bayerns Münchens jüdischer Meistermacher" (in German). der Spiegel (eines tages). 29 July 2009. http://einestages.spiegel.de/static/topicalbumbackground/4634/bayern_muenchens_vergessener_meistermacher.html.
External links
- Onkel Kurt und die Bayern — An essay about Landauer in Die Zeit (in German)
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