Wolfgang Tiefensee

Wolfgang Tiefensee (born January 4, 1955 in Gera) is a German SPD politician. Originally an electrical engineer, he turned to politics in 1989, during the democratization process of the German Democratic Republic. Tiefensee was elected mayor of Leipzig in 1998, and was reelected with a vast 67% majority in April 2005.

As mayor, he put great effort into Leipzig's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. While Leipzig unexpectedly won the campaign to tender the German bid, the middle-sized city did not get past the first round of the international competition, which was in fact won by London.

In October 2005 he was nominated to become Federal Minister for Transport, Building and Housing in the Grand coalition cabinet led by Angela Merkel, succeeding Manfred Stolpe. Tiefensee had originally been offered the ministerial post in 2002 by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, but declined, stating that his place was in Leipzig.

Wolfgang Tiefensee is also known for playing the cello, a talent that he successfully incorporated into Leipzig's Olympic bid. His brother, Eberhard Tiefensee, is a Catholic priest and professor of theology at the University of Erfurt.