Ursula von der Leyen is four years old when she told her mother about a strange dream. In it she says: “Heavenly Father, I break the clouds!And I broke the clouds! And as I said: Heavenly Father, I break the door! And I broke the door!When the door was broken, I was floating towards the sky, and I was an angel. Small brown wings I had, and a small, white underpants … “

What Heidi Adele Albrecht, wife of the late Lower Saxony Prime Minister Ernst Albrecht, since 1963 listed by her daughter like a picture for their future political journey reads. Where other decades worked their way upwards, Ursula von der Leyen takes in a few years their ascension similar climb to the top of the CDU. On the way up, it seemed, broke every door that she had decided einzurennen, even if his own party on the other hand pressed from the inside.

But now, just before the election, it has reached a crucial point. In a now completely adjusted by Crown Prince CDU labor minister acts at once as the only person who could inherit the emergency Merkel. But it has also become cool and lonely for her. Your opting out at the pension and female quota they have tasted sympathy in the party. In Berlin you would treat a crash after repeated wings storms not a few colleagues from the heart. What the Chancellor thinks of all this, is likely to show after the election, when it becomes clear whether the Minister added wins or loses power. Stagnation would be striking for von der Leyen.

Merkel also deemed surprised how rigorously will impress von der Leyen party their line. Surprises like the Chancellor not, the tendency toward unilateralism not exactly. Ironically properties that have driven by the rise Leyen far, they could bring down: the enormous confidence the Minister, this belief to play a special role to downright must protrude. Anyone who wants to understand how it was so, must start from scratch.

Ursula von der Leyen is replaced with 13 her first leading role

Already cited diary entries of their now deceased mother are an indication. But they were published, testifies to a family that also feels her private as enriching for the general public and the expressions of their children for verewigungswürdig.Ursula Gertrud, nicknamed “florets”, the third of seven children is. She is born in 1958, in Brussels, where her father Ernst Albrecht, pet name “Percy”, working for the EU predecessor EC. At Ursula’s birth records the mother: “How can I unlike you now push as love, delicate rose flower on my heart! You are a sensational baby: The first child who does not enter screams into life, but slides from a peaceful slumber in the other. (…) Your favorite sound, the brothers constantly imitate: ereeh, ereeh “!

The Albrechts are an elegant, upper-class communities, devout Protestants, it is prayed and sang together, the evening reading the couple mutually Plato before, weekend hunts “Percy” pheasants the Belgian nobility. At the annual family celebrations Charade is played and danced quadrille, there are polonaises organized by lantern-adorned Perennial Gardens and bocce laps on the croquet lawn. Each party where the children perform on plays that were written by her mother. It will not harm the appearance of the later politician.

Your probably first guide roller gets Ursula with 13 years. Since her little sister Benita dies of cancer. “Anemone” is now the only girl in the house and taking care of her brothers. In the same year the family moved from Belgium to Lower Saxony, where Ernst Albrecht 1976: surprisingly elected prime minister. The Albrechts, the “First Family” of the federal state, and Ursula is the radiant Princess. In the village Beinhorn behind Hannover Albrecht building a clinker Villa geziegeltem upstairs. They call the house “Tundrinsheide”.

This large estate between paddocks and ancient oaks will soon become the mythical seat of the family and to their stage: regularly appear home stories of Albrechts, “florets” must sing with siblings Jägerlieder on NDR television in 1978 takes the whole family the Schlager-plate ” Awake in God beautiful world “on.Come Party friends to visit, are lined up the children to be under the direction of her mother’s house concerts, Ursula mostly at the piano. Some visitors verkneift while a grin. “Albrechts have family life cultivated from 1918,” says a CDU-man who was often there. “That was out of this world. A totally own universe. That makes it florets until now difficult to find access to ordinary families. “

Even on Tundrinsheide, this home planet in Albrecht universe gets florets a special role: The remaining daughter is considered eyeball her father. In the small circle he often speaks less of her, the five sons. “Florets” sat afternoon on the porch, waiting until her father comes home. While the brothers are sent out at meetings, visitors can experience how Ursula must remain seated under her father’s desk. Nevertheless, it is brought up to iron discipline. In school maximum diligence is expected to study is, of course, the promotion desired. Heidi Adele Albrecht tells the image, as she sends her son pick Harald once a punishment without gloves nettles. TV, reported neighbors were the children hardly Mickey Mouse also do not read. Playmates remember that the Albrecht-boys had calendar, in which they listed dates to play.

Unusual is soon around the life in the village to Tundrinsheide. As protection against the RAF own police station will be installed in Beinhorn. Twelve officers and two cars patrol the streets, the children are driven in the squad car to the school, the city is the castle of Albrecht.

Wulff’s secret weapon

Ursula is at school an overachiever, skips a class that makes the age of 17 High School, grade 0.7. A normal student life is not possible: Because the risk rises by the RAF, they have to change from Göttingen to London, where she studied under a false name and guarded by Scotland Yard. Only in 1990, when Ernst Albrecht is deselected, the police station, the floodlights will be dissolved, demolished the guard house, dismounted. In Beinhorn peace returns a.

But in the late nineties is “florets”, now married, physician and mother of seven children, overtaken by their origin. In Hannover it crunches between parliamentary leader Christian Wulff, catholic, and the bearing of his predecessor Jürgen Gansäuer, evangelical, which also Wilfried Hasselmann heard CDU honorary chairman in Lower Saxony Ernst Albrecht right hand. Albrechts enthusiasm for his daughter is known, in small groups, he raves about how it was Strauss succeeded his daughter Monika accommodate in politics. As Wulff “florets” refers at once to his competence team, he pulls Albrecht – and thus Hasselmann – to his side and neutralized so abruptly his internal party opponents.

Wulff’s secret weapon is in their former place of residence an attraction before it takes up 2001 local elections. Almost every evening turns the tall, blonde Fräuleinwunder jogging tours through the city: on foot, perfectly behaved children on wheels or roller blades, the pony trots alongside. Your campaign is about the area as a natural phenomenon: children, goat, pony, all are involved, she thanks Wulff and her father the party apparatus in the back, image and NDR accompany their campaign. You have never experienced something say local politicians, which soon becomes clear that someone is deliberately built.

This is confirmed before the state election in 2003. In the run-up to a crucial vote to “Röschens” Later constituency makes the image the previous owner Lutz von der Heide, a veteran deputies, down. The responsible editor gets after the election a job at the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economic Affairs. Competitors eyeing enviously of von der Leyen election stands that are equipped with bands and attended by Wulff personally. On election day, just before it is not only MPs but also equal for Social Affairs, one sees “florets” with her father stroll through the parliament, holding hands.

For many it remains an outsider, at best Exotin. Whether in city council or parliament: occasionally difficult colleagues do with “roses” to be accused more often without her as their controlled politeness, the large, intact family, her career, her poise and the fact that they are all politically uses. In essence, it is the bitterness of those who have done decades political legwork to be overtaken by the smiling daughter Albrecht.

Party members feel treated her like a child

That she shuns receptions in parliament and later in Berlin and often fled the journey home takes up to meetings held nor mitzutrinken one does not make it better. The Minister afford the luxury of neglecting the trappings because her life has never ceased to revolve around the family. Not only by her seven children, but now again to “Tundrinsheide” where she moved in and his family in 2007 to let her demented father not alone. In Beinhorn you experience the new housewife as not quite as close to the people as the old. The village is little more, as formerly, invited to family celebrations. The Albrechts appeared still to every local celebration, von der Leyen sends more times a case of beer over. You plauscht rarely with the villagers, mostly she calls down just a “good day” from the horse.And yet, it is now there Herrin, where they once started their way. The circle has been closed.

Six siblings, seven children, how should not rub off on the politician’s life as object and subject of ambitious children education? A scene in the summer of 2011. Ursula von der Leyen receives a student group in the Bundestag. Carefully sit just yet herumfeixenden children before the Minister, an has questions about the women’s quota. “I have to make pressure,” she says, puts up close and conspiratorial approach the children and whispered: “And then sometimes crash.” She beams and raises his eyebrows, you want instantly by her with a cup of cocoa into are placed and covered bed. In parting, a group photo, but should the children smile. “And what’s the word with the ant?” Shouts von der Leyen, wide-eyed. “Aaa-mei-sen-shit!” The children shout in chorus.

Is also part of their problems in Berlin: Many party members feel treated her as if they were part of a group of children. In fact, it was – especially in family policy – to of von der Leyen experience to be their party in the time ahead, having to help her on the jumps, to know better. This has many applied against them, as her youngest, a bad result in the election for party deputy shows. In the CDU no one answers “ants shit” when she calls. Never she was unpopular in the parliamentary group. There are better starting points for the onward flight.

Nevertheless, many voters love this minister. For this reason alone Merkel will do well to keep warm von der Leyen. As long as it is not dangerous to her. Your mentors is “florets” now outgrown. Wulff anyway, and now she takes care of Ernst Albrecht, not vice versa. Throughout his illness he also her nickname was lost. He has forgotten him. “Florets” she said recently, “no longer exists.”

At the latest at the Cabinet formation was clear: Because Ursula von der Leyen had to give up the labor ministry to the SPD, it claimed a similar powerful department. they would become foreign minister prefer. but that post again grabbed Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD). Merkel offered her best frontwoman something better, the Department of Defense. Both liked the move, to land with a woman on top of a hard, very hard departments a new PR coup. Von der Leyen much attention will attract to this item, it will be in a flurry of flashbulbs, that’s for sure. They can wear their quota issue the last men front the Republic. But her new ministry is not without risk. You must manage the billions debacle the drone Euro Hawk and cope with the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

It is once again a field on which to prove Ursula von der Leyen.