Günther Jauch turns 70: "Quizkönig," winemaker and discreet patron of Potsdam

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Born in July 1956 in Münster and raised in Berlin from the age of three, Günther Jauch first made a name for himself as a journalist and then as a television host. He has commentated on football matches, hosted political programmes, presented entertainment shows and directed the magazine "Stern TV" nearly 900 times. But it is above all the RTL show "Wer wird Millionär?", which he has hosted for almost 27 years, that earned him his greatest popularity, the NZZ writes in its portrait.

His relationship with Potsdam resembles love at first sight. During an outing on Christmas Eve 1989, on the other side of the inter-German border, with his future wife, he discovered the city on the banks of the Havel and fell under its spell: « Wir wollten uns Sanssouci anschauen und waren dann auch im Holländischen Viertel, das damals noch wüst aussah. Trotzdem hat die Stadt schon damals einen ungeheuren Zauber auf uns ausgestrahlt, und wir haben uns gesagt: Hier wollen wir einmal leben. » A few years later, he settled there permanently.

Love at first sight for Potsdam

In 2006, he married his long-time partner on the Pfingstberg and supported the renovation of the Belvedere. In 2010, he added a new string to his bow by taking over the renowned von Othegraven wine estate in Kanzem, in Rhineland-Palatinate, on the Saar, as a descendant of its founders. As a winemaker, however, he refuses to consider himself one: « Im Grunde bin ich ein ewiger Winzer-Azubi », he confided to dpa. He describes the region as idyllic and romantic, often works in Cologne, but still considers Potsdam his primary home.

In Potsdam, Jauch has not only restored monuments: he has also weighed in on local politics. In 2007, his fiery speech against arbitrary approvals within the city's monuments office sent shockwaves through city hall and led to a restructuring of the institution. « Für mich sind genau solche Daten nicht so wichtig und ich neige dann auch nicht dazu, da ein großes Aufhebens zu machen. Kein großes Aufhebens : Das könnte auch als Motto über dem vielseitigen Wirken von Jauch in Potsdam stehen », the NZZ portrait sums up.

Patron and critical voice in the city

His philanthropic commitment extends through financial support for the Christian youth association "Die Arche" in the Drewitz housing estate district, whose creation he encouraged. The organisation welcomes up to 80 children and teenagers from the neighbourhood every day, providing them with meals, guidance and support. Brandenburg's Minister-President Dietmar Woidke praised his work in a birthday message: « Sie tragen dazu bei, das Stadtbild Potsdams wieder zum Strahlen zu bringen. Dieses Engagement ist Ausdruck von Verantwortung für unsere Gesellschaft und für kommende Generationen. »

For his birthday, the host did not wish to make any grand statements: « Also, es ist zu empfehlen, dass man an dem Tag nicht ans Telefon geht. » His long-time friend, himself a veteran of German television, nonetheless broke a mutual oath made with Jauch – no longer to speak publicly about each other until the other's funeral – in order to congratulate him. Thomas Gottschalk, 76, told the Bild newspaper: « Wir hatten uns zwar geschworen, uns erst am offenen Grab des anderen wieder übereinander zu äußern. Aber zu deinem siebzigsten nichts zu sagen, fällt mir schwerer, als diesen Schwur zu brechen. »

Thomas Gottschalk breaks the oath

Gottschalk added, with his customary humour: « Happy 70, lieber Günther! Einholen wirst du mich altersmäßig eh nie. » He also compared their ageing to that of Mick Jagger: « Und er hat mehr Falten als wir beide zusammen. Genauso weiß ich, dass Mick Jagger immer ein paar Jahre älter sein wird als ich. So soll es bleiben! » The anecdote bears witness to a lasting friendship between the two "TV-Urgesteine," despite their sporadic public statements over the years.

About his son's career, Jauch's father reportedly delivered a word that became famous: « Was Günther macht, verstehe ich zwar nicht, aber es wird wohl gut bezahlt – kein Mensch weiß, warum. » On the eve of his birthday, Jauch himself said modestly to dpa: « Ich denke, es wird gelingen. » Three decades after his love at first sight for Potsdam, the host, winemaker and patron thus continues his discreet commitment, in the image of the man himself: without fuss, but with constancy.

The NZZ photo gallery, produced with images drawn in particular from the KPA, United and Getty agencies, also offers a photographic look at the major stages of Jauch's life, from the rising journalist of the 1990s to the inescapable face of contemporary German entertainment.