Top 100 Greatest Germans

Top 10 Germans

  1. Konrad Adenauer, Chancellor of West Germany 1949-1963 (1876-1967)
  2. Martin Luther, leader of the reformation, father of Protestantism (1483-1546)
  3. Karl Marx, political economist, philosopher (1818-1883)
  4. Sophie and Hans Scholl, White Rose young anti-Nazi students (1921/1918-1943)
  5. Willy Brandt, West German chancellor from 1969-1974, implemented the Ostpolitik (1913-1992)
  6. Johann Sebastian Bach, composer (1685-1750)
  7. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, writer (1749-1832)
  8. Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of movable type printing in Europe (1400-1468)
  9. Otto von Bismarck, politician responsible for creation of German Empire in 1871, and hence its first chancellor (1815-1898)
  10. Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist who came up with the general theory of relativity (1879-1955)
  11. Adolph Kolping, priest (1813-1865)
  12. Ludwig van Beethoven, composer (1770-1827)
  13. Helmut Kohl, West German chancellor from 1982-1998, important figure for Germany's Reunification (born 1930)
  14. Robert Bosch, inventor and industrialist (1861-1942)
  15. Daniel Küblböck, singer (born 1985)
  16. Konrad Zuse, computer inventor (1910-1995)
  17. Josef Kentenich, priest (1885-1968)
  18. Albert Schweitzer, physician and philanthropist (1875-1965)
  19. Karlheinz Böhm, actor and charity activist (born 1928)
  20. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, composer (1756-1791)
  21. Helmut Schmidt, West German chancellor from 1974-1982 (born 1918)
  22. Regine Hildebrandt, politician (1941-2001)
  23. Alice Schwarzer, feminist journalist (born 1942)
  24. Thomas Gottschalk, TV host (born 1950)
  25. Herbert Grönemeyer, musician (born 1956)
  26. Michael Schumacher, racing driver (born 1969)
  27. Ludwig Erhard, west German chancellor, creator of the Wirtschaftswunder in the 1950s (1897-1977)
  28. Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, physicist (1845-1923)
  29. Günther Jauch, television celebrity and journalist (born 1956)
  30. Dieter Bohlen, television celebrity and music producer (born 1954)
  31. Jan Ullrich, athlete (cycling) (born 1973)
  32. Steffi Graf, athlete (tennis) (born 1969)
  33. Samuel Hahnemann, physician (1755-1843)
  34. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theologian and Nazi victim (1906-1945)
  35. Boris Becker, athlete (tennis) (born 1967)
  36. Franz Beckenbauer, athlete (football), coach and organiser (born 1945)
  37. Oskar Schindler, industrialist, Jews' saviour (1908-1974)
  38. Nena, singer (born 1960)
  39. Hans-Dietrich Genscher, politician (born 1927)
  40. Heinz Rühmann, actor (1902-1994)
  41. Harald Schmidt, comedian (born 1957)
  42. Frederick II of Prussia ("Frederick the Great") king (1712-1786)
  43. Immanuel Kant, philosopher, leading figure of the Enlightenment (1724-1804)
  44. Patrick Lindner, singer (born 1960)
  45. Hartmut Engler, singer (Pur) (born 1961)
  46. Hildegard von Bingen, nun, writer and musician (1098-1179)
  47. Heino, singer (born 1938)
  48. Richard von Weizsäcker, Federal President from 1984-1994 (born 1920)
  49. Claus Graf Schenk von Stauffenberg, military officer and Anti-Hitler activist (1907-1944)
  50. Marlene Dietrich, actress and singer (1901-1992)
  51. Robert Koch, physician (1843-1910)
  52. Joschka Fischer, Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor from 1998-2005 (born 1948)
  53. Karl May, writer (1842-1912)
  54. Loriot (Vicco von Bülow), satirist (born 1923)
  55. Albertus Magnus, scholar (1200-1280)
  56. Rudi Völler, athlete (football) (born 1960)
  57. Heinz Erhardt, comedian (1909-1979)
  58. Roy Black, singer and actor (1943-1991)
  59. Heinz-Harald Frentzen, racing driver (born 1967)
  60. Wolfgang Apel, animal rights activist (born 1951)
  61. Alexander von Humboldt, scientist (1769-1859)
  62. Peter Kraus, singer (born 1939)
  63. Wernher von Braun, rocket scientist (1912-1977)
  64. Dirk Nowitzki, athlete (basketball) (born 1978)
  65. Campino, singer (Die Toten Hosen) (born 1962)
  66. Franz Josef Strauß, politician (1915-1988)
  67. Sebastian Kneipp, physician (1821-1897)
  68. Friedrich Schiller, writer (1759-1805)
  69. Richard Wagner, composer (1813-1883)
  70. Katarina Witt, athlete (figure skating) (born 1965)
  71. Fritz Walter, athlete (football), captain of 1954 world championship winners (1920-2002)
  72. Nicole, singer (born 1964)
  73. Friedrich von Bodelschwingh, priest (1831-1910)
  74. Otto Lilienthal, aviation pioneer (1848-1896)
  75. Marion Gräfin Dönhoff, editor (1909-2002)
  76. Thomas Mann, writer (1875-1955)
  77. Hermann Hesse, writer (1877-1962)
  78. Romy Schneider, actress (1938-1982)
  79. Sven Hannawald, athlete (ski jumping) (born 1974)
  80. Elisabeth of Bavaria ("Sissi"), royal consort (1837-1898)
  81. Willy Millowitsch, actor and comedian (1909-1999)
  82. Gerhard Schröder, Chancellor from 1998-2005 (born 1944)
  83. Joseph Beuys, artist (1921-1986)
  84. Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900)
  85. Rudi Dutschke, student leader in the 1960s (1940-1979)
  86. Karl Lehmann, priest (born 1936)
  87. Beate Uhse, erotica entrepreneur (1919-2001)
  88. Trümmerfrauen ("rubble women"), rebuilding Germany after the war
  89. Carl Friedrich Gauss, mathematician and physicist (1777-1855)
  90. Helmut Rahn, athlete (football), scorer of winning goal in 1954 (1929-2003)
  91. Albrecht Dürer, artist (1471-1528)
  92. Max Schmeling, athlete (boxing) (1905-2005)
  93. Karl Benz, automobile pioneer (1844-1929)
  94. Frederick II, emperor (1194-1250)
  95. Reinhard Mey, singer-songwriter (born 1942)
  96. Heinrich Heine, writer (1797-1856)
  97. Georg Elser, Hitler assassin (1903-1945)
  98. Konrad Duden, linguist (1829-1911)
  99. James Last, composer (born 1929)
  100. Uwe Seeler, athlete (football) (born 1936)

This list was created from a German TV programme Unsere Besten ("Our Best") shown on German public television (ZDF) in November 2003, similar to the BBC series 100 Greatest Britons. The idea was to create a list of greatest Germans - excluding controversial figures such as Adolf Hitler.

Others of note:

134. Anne Frank