Charlotte Kretschmann
Charlotte Kretschmann | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 December 1909 |
| Died | 27 August 2024 (aged 114 years, 268 days) Kirchheim unter Teck, Baden-Württemberg, Germany |
| Known for |
|
| Spouse |
Werner Kretschmann
(m. 1936; died 1996) |
| Children | 1 |
Charlotte Kretschmann (3 December 1909 – 27 August 2024) was a German supercentenarian who was Germany's oldest-ever resident.[1][2][3][4]
Biography
[edit]Kretschmann was born in Breslau, Kingdom of Prussia, on 3 December 1909.[5] In addition to her parents and older brother she also had grandparents who lived on a farm in Pomerania.[6]
In her childhood she did gymnastics, and, as she remarked later, "got everything she wanted from her parents".[1][7] Kretschmann also said in an interview that she wanted to do what her older brother "was allowed to do" (namely sports). She thus ran 800 metres as a "discipline" which earned her a gold pin from the sports authorities.[7]
At the age of 27, Kretschmann met her husband Werner during a dance at a sporting event (c. 1936).[7] Later that year they married and in 1937 had a daughter named Siegried.[8]
During World War II, her husband was drafted into the army and sent to the front line in France.[5] While Kretschmann stayed behind in their hometown she was forced to flee in 1944 with her daughter to Stuttgart.[5] The Red Cross "facilitated the couple's reunion" after the war ended and the family of three settled there.[3][8] Kretschmann's husband died in 1996, and her daughter Siegried died in 2019.[5][7]
Kretschmann lived alone until 2014 when she experienced a brain haemorrhage.[1] While this health scare prompted her to move into a nursing home in Kirchheim unter Teck, she was noted by doctors for her relatively remarkable health given her age.[7][9] Kretschmann had an Instagram account where she kept a photo diary of her life.[10] She eventually became the oldest living person in Germany at the age of 112, and her age was verified by the Gerontology Research Group on 23 August 2023.[5]
Kretschmann died in Kirchheim unter Teck on 27 August 2024, at the age of 114 years and 268 days.[11]
See also
[edit]- List of the verified oldest people
- List of German supercentenarians
- List of European countries by life expectancy
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "'I still have a lot to see': Meet the oldest living German at 113-years [sic] old". The Local. 23 April 2023. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Keck, Christine (27 January 2023). "(S+) Charlotte Kretschmann ist 113 Jahre alt: »Ans Sterben denke ich nicht, ich habe ja noch Zeit«". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ a b Salaysay, Lennard Ashley (5 December 2023). "Charlotte Kretschmann, Germany's Oldest Person, Turned 114". LongeviQuest. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "Charlotte Kretschmann, Germany's Longevity Record Holder, Validated at 114". LongeviQuest. 22 December 2023. Archived from the original on 30 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Charlotte Kretschmann". Gerontology Research Group. Archived from the original on 9 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Mezger, Martin (1 January 2023). "Altersrekord in Kirchheim: Charlotte Kretschmann ist 113 – und die älteste Deutsche". Eßlinger Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 5 April 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Mihai, Eva-Marie and Kaa, Tatjana (25 April 2023). "Mit 113 Jahren die älteste Deutsche: "Ich würde alles genauso machen"". Bild (in German). Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ a b Südwestrundfunk (26 April 2016). "Charlotte Kretschmann lebte schon, als noch der Kaiser regierte". YouTube (Video) (in German). Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "Kirchheimerin feiert ihren 112. Geburtstag – Kirchheim". Der Teckbote (in German). 12 June 2021. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "Charlotte Kretschmann ist die älteste Frau Deutschlands". Stuttgarter Nachrichten (in German). 7 September 2023. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "Älteste Deutsche im Alter von 114 Jahren gestorben". Spiegel. 28 August 2024. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
External links
[edit]- Charlotte Kretschmann on Instagram