Golden citizens' medal for Heidemarie Schwärzel and Karola Böhm

With this award, the city of Hof honors particularly committed personalities.

Auf dem Bild sind vier Frauen im Großen Sitzungssaal zu sehen. Die beiden äußeren tragen Amtsketten, die in der Mitte Ehrenmedaillen. — Foto (Stadt Hof): Oberbürgermeisterin Eva Döhla, Heidemarie Schwärzel, Karola Böhm, Bürgermeisterin Angela Bier

Heidemarie Schwärzel and Karola Böhm were honored with the highest municipal award, the Golden Citizen Medal, in a festive ceremony. In her laudatory speech, Mayor Eva Döhla paid tribute to the women's decades of service: "Both have made a special contribution to the city of Hof and have had a lasting impact on our social life." Karola Böhm is the eighth and Heidemarie Schwärzel the ninth woman to be awarded the Golden Citizen's Medal, which has been awarded to particularly committed personalities in the city of Hof since 1956, joining the list of 63 people honored in total.

The award ceremony took place in the presence of numerous guests, including family members of the honorees, representatives of the city council and former recipients of the Golden Citizens' Medal and honorary citizens of the city of Hof.

Karola Böhm's voluntary and community involvement

Karola Böhm was born in Kulmbach in 1956 and moved to Hof with her family in 1963. After graduating from Jean-Paul-Gymnasium and studying law, she worked as a lawyer from 1985. She has been a member of the SPD city council since 1996 and has held numerous positions of responsibility, including chairwoman of the parliamentary group and member of important committees such as the main and finance committee.

She is also a member of the Foundation Committee,the Audit Committee, the Transport Advisory Board, the Council of Elders and the Rules of Procedure Committee. She is also on the Supervisory Board of Stadtwerke,of HEWand on the Advisory Board of Hof-Plauen Airport. Until September 2024, Karola Böhm was on the advisory board of the outpatient care service of the Hof Hospital Foundation. From 2002 to 2008, she was a member of the Board of Directors of Kreis- und Stadtsparkasse Hof and has been a member of the Association Council of Zweckverband der Sparkasse Hochfranken since 2009.

In 2014, she was awarded the certificate of thanks for special services to local self-government and in 2021 the bronze Municipal Medal of Merit. Karola Böhm can now look back on almost 30 years on the town council.

Her commitment is not only visible at municipal level: she has also been Chairwoman of the Bavarian Housing and Property Owners' Association Hof District Association since 1995 and was Chairwoman of the association "Die Gruppe" until 2018, which offers help for young people and those who have been washed up and is committed to preventing and combating juvenile delinquency in particular. From 1990 to 2003, Böhm was Chairwoman of the Münster/Krötenbruck SPD local association. She was also a board member and co-initiator of the Frauenennotruf for many years and a founding member of EIBA/EJSA and Idor e.V., now the German-Czech Football School. Her commitment made it possible for the first and only Stolperstein to be laid in Hof, in Döbereinerstrasse.

Her work always focused on social and women's issues. Her active commitment to women, young people and families - especially the disadvantaged and those in special life situations - deserves great respect. She has always campaigned for women's rights and against violence against women, for the prevention of juvenile delinquency and for social justice.

The award of the Golden Citizens' Medal honors her decades of work for the good of the city and its citizens.

Heidemarie Schwärzel's voluntary and community commitment

Heidemarie Schwärzel was born in Dachau in 1943 and grew up in Hof. She worked in various fields, including 17 years at AOK Hof. She first became a member of Hof City Council in 1996 and was re-elected three times, meaning that when she retired from the council in 2020, she could look back on 24 years of local political activity and shaping local politics in the city of Hof.

From the beginning of her time on the city council, she was a member of the SPD city council faction and represented on the personnel committee, was a member of the foundation committee and was involved in the advisory board for social affairs and the advisory board for town twinning and sponsorships. Here, she has fostered good friendships on various excursions and trips to the twin towns. Heidemarie Schwärzel was also always highly committed to the building committee.

Schwärzel's involvement in the traffic advisory board and the Hof district traffic watch has always been a matter close to her heart. She was active here for 46 years - as Managing Director and from 2005 to 2017 also as 1st Chairwoman. The safety of children on the way to school and in road traffic has always been Schwärzel's particular focus. She played a key role in setting up the school crossing guard and school crossing helper service in the city of Hof. Many measures and projects could be implemented thanks to the generous financial support of the Kreisverkehrswacht. Whether traffic education material, traffic lessons or bicycle tests in schools - children could be protected from many dangers and damages in road traffic. It is thanks to your personal commitment that the yellow caps and later the safety triangles were handed out to first graders every year. For all your efforts, you were awarded the Silver Pin of Merit in 1979, the Golden Pin of Merit in 1984 and the Silver Medal of Honor of the Verkehrswacht in 1991.

When she retired from the Hof City Council in 2020, she could look back on a remarkable 24 years on the council. Heidemarie Schwärzel has acquired a great deal of knowledge through her many years of work on various committees and has made many professional decisions for the benefit of the city.

The Free State of Bavaria recognized this work in 2014 with the award of the Certificate of Thanks for Special Services to Local Self-Government and in 2021 with the Municipal Medal of Merit in Bronze. She has been a member of the SPD for over 38 years and was on the board of the Münster/Krötenbruck SPD local association for many years. In 2023, the SPD awarded her the Max Blumtritt Medal for her lifetime achievements and great service.

However, Schwärzel is not only active as a volunteer at a local and political level. In addition to the women's emergency hotline, where she was actively involved for 10 years, she also spent 10 years as a playground patron at the playground in Emil-von Behring-Straße and 12 years as a shop steward at the Christuskirche in Hof. In 2003, she was awarded the Prime Minister's Decoration of Honor for these outstanding achievements in voluntary work.

Heidemarie Schwärzel is also a member of many associations: she has been a member of Verdi for more than 38 years, AWO for over 24 years, where she is currently on the board as treasurer, and PTSV Hof for almost 60 years. But she also supports smaller clubs on a voluntary basis.

"Anyone who knows Heidemarie Schwärzel knows how social she is: You stand up for others, are very close to people and are interested in their fates and the special situations of your fellow citizens. You are there for those who need you," said Eva Döhla in her laudatory speech.