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Chancellor with briefcase: "Historical value"
Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpa
In the Bundestag, at conferences, on the road: A leather briefcase is a constant companion of Olaf Scholz. Almost 40 years ago, writes the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" (SZ), the chancellor acquired the "Times 16" model. At that time he was still a trainee lawyer in Hamburg.
It seems unclear when Scholz will discard the bag, size 40 by 34 centimeters. But the day will come. Where then to put the good piece?
With bag over the red carpet
According to the SZ, two interested parties have come forward who would like to take over the accessory: the Museum Haus der Geschichte (HdG) in Bonn and the SPD-affiliated Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES).
HdG head Harald Biermann told the newspaper that he had already told government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit: "At some point we would like to have Olaf Scholz's briefcase." It has a "historical value". There is, for example, an "almost iconic scene" in which Scholz walks the red carpet in Kyiv: with his left hand he holds the bag, with his right he shakes hands with the Ukrainian president. And anyway – the many signs of wear are "always beautiful for us".
The head of the FES archive, Anja Kruke, on the other hand, emphasized her interest in objects that have a specific meaning and say something about the person. "With this in mind, we would of course also like to add Olaf Scholz's bag to the inventory at a later date."
According to the SZ, the Chancellery has not yet decided who should be awarded the contract.
sms/dpa