A digital mastermind, art historian, entrepreneur, publisher and visionary, his creative drive has made Hubert Burda Media one of Europe's standout and most modern media players.
Hubert Burda is an honorary citizen of the city of Munich. The publisher thus joins the ranks of a total of 60 personalities, including Richard Strauß, Joseph von Fraunhofer and Carl Orff, to whom this honour has also been bestowed in the past.
At the award ceremony in the Old Town Hall, Munich's Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter highlighted the outstanding achievements of the honorary citizens, who have rendered outstanding services to the well-being of the city. The writer Michael Krüger held the laudatory speech for Hubert Burda in a video pre-recorded for the award ceremony. In it, Krüger praised Hubert Burda's commitment to cultural diversity in Munich.
Under the motto "Godparents for Tolerance", the publisher had campaigned for the Jewish Centre on Jakobsplatz and was also the founder of the prize and foundation for the promotion of art and science, international understanding and literature in the state capital.
At the beginning of the 1960s, the publishing house Hubert Burda based in Offenburg came to Munich and not only created jobs, but also established new technologies: "We were the first in the city to work with the Internet and content," remembered Hubert Burda in the three-minute introduction of the video, stressing that Munich was "the most beautiful city in the world" for him.
In the presence of his wife Maria Furtwängler and daughter Lisa Furtwängler, Hubert Burda accepted the honorary citizenship certificate from the Lord Mayor. In his acceptance speech, the publisher explained that this honour was a great moment in his life and that he owed much to the city:
"Without Munich, the publishing house would not have become what it is today."
Hubert Burda, owner of the publishing house Hubert Burda Media
In addition to Hubert Burda, the actresses Michaela May and Jutta Speidel, Franz Herzog von Bayern, the publicist Rachel Salamander and the former president of the Chamber of Crafts for Munich and Upper Bavaria, Heinrich Traublinger, are among the new honorary citizens of the state capital.
The name of Hubert Burda and of the six new honorary citizens of the city were entered on the commemorative plaques in the foyer of the Old Town Hall.