Kretschmann: The Green Castellan

“The Iron Green Departs””

Overview

Winfried Kretschmann is the first Green politician to rise to the top of a state government — and so far the only one. He has governed Baden-Württemberg as Minister-President since 2011, longer than any of his predecessors. Soon, his tenure will come to an end: Kretschmann will not run again in the 2026 state election. This film takes stock of his time in office. A Catholic with a communist past. A conservative in a left-leaning party. A Green in the automotive heartland of Baden-Württemberg: Winfried Kretschmann’s political biography is a long journey marked by surprises and contradictions. Jenni Rieger and Jürgen Rose retrace this path. They speak with Kretschmann’s party colleagues and coalition partners, long-time close aides and early companions such as Joschka Fischer, Cem Özdemir, and Annalena Baerbock, as well as political rivals like Volker Bouffier, Markus Söder, and Bodo Ramelow. Has Germany’s first Green Minister-President changed the country?