Friedrich Wolf
Friedrich Wolf (23 December 1888 – 5 October 1953) was a German doctor and politically engaged writer. From 1949 to 1951, he served as East Germany's first ambassador to Poland.
Friedrich Wolf

Lothar Gielow · Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-14811-0013 / Gielow / CC-BY-SA 3.0 · This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive (Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as part of a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation · CC BY-SA 3.0 de
- Name
- Friedrich Wolf
- Born
- 23 December 1888
- Birthplace
- Neuwied, Rhine Province, German Empire
- Died
- 5 October 1953
- Place of death
- East Berlin, East Germany
- Occupation
- * Physician
- Spouse
- Kaethe Gumpold (1914) Else (Eva) Dreibholz (1922)
- Nationality
- German Empire · Weimar Republic · allied-occupied Germany
- Fields
- creative and professional writing · prose · drama · medicine
- Education
- University of Bonn
- Honours
- Order of the Red Star · National Prize of East Germany · Commander with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta
- Languages
- German
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Friedrich Wolf (23 December 1888 – 5 October 1953) was a German doctor and politically engaged writer. From 1949 to 1951, he served as East Germany's first ambassador to Poland.
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Authority files
gnd · 134378415 · wikidata · Q77447
In this article
Biography
Biography
Friedrich Wolf studied at University of Bonn. The recorded working language is German. The field of work recorded is creative and professional writing, prose and drama. Places of work recorded in the authority are Dresden, Remscheid and Hechingen. Positions recorded include ambassador of East Germany to Poland and ambassador. Distinctions recorded are Order of the Red Star, National Prize of East Germany and Commander with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta.

Friedrich-Wolf-Gedenkstätte in Lehnitz (Oranienburg)
Kikuyu

A 1926 photo of Friedrich with his wife Else, and their sons Markus (left) and Konrad (right)
Friedrich Wolf · The Nature as Doctor and Helper (1926)
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Friedrich Wolf • Born — 23 December 1888 • Birthplace — Neuwied, Rhine Province, German Empire • Died — 5 October 1953 • Place of death — East Berlin, East Germany • Political Party — KPD (1926) SED (1950) • Occupation — * Physician • Writer • Politician • Diplomat • Parents — Max and Ida Wolf • Spouse — Kaethe Gumpold (1914) Else (Eva) Dreibholz (1922) • Children — Johanna Marie (1915) Lukas (1919) Markus (1923–2006) Konrad (1925–1982) by Lotte Rayss Lena by Irmgard Schaaf Thomas Naumann (1953)
Early life
Early life
Wolf was born in Neuwied, Rhine Province, the son of a Jewish merchant. From 1907 to 1912, he studied medicine, philosophy and art history in Munich, Tübingen, Bonn, and Berlin and became a doctor in 1913. In 1914, he worked first as a ship's doctor on the route between Canada, Greenland, and the United States, and in the same year became a field doctor on the Western Front during World War I, an experience that made him a strong opponent of war. In 1917, he published his first prose pieces.
Career
Career
• Illustration — Wolf with his wife Else and their sons Markus (left) and Konrad (right), 1926 In 1918, Wolf became a member of the workers' council in Dresden and joined the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany. After the war, he worked as a doctor in Remscheid and Hechingen, where he focused on care for common people and prescribed treatment using naturopathic medicine. In 1923 and 1925, his sons Markus and Konrad were born. After 1928, he became a member of the Communist Party of Germany and the Association of Proletarian-Revolutionary Authors. In 1929, his play "Cyankali" sparked a debate about abortion. He and Else Kienle were briefly arrested and charged in 1931 for performing abortions. In early 1932, Wolf founded the Spieltrupp Südwest in Stuttgart, a communist agitprop group of lay actors that created controversial pieces about current topics. After the Nazis came to power, Wolf emigrated with his family to Moscow. In 1938 he made his way to Spain to work as a doctor in the International Brigades; however, he was arrested in France and interned in a concentration camp, Camp Vernet. In 1941, he gained Soviet citizenship and returned to Moscow, where he became a founder of the National Committee for a Free Germany (NKFD). In 1945, World returned to Germany and was active in literary and cultural-political issues. From 1949 to 1951, he was the first ambassador of East Germany to Poland.
Death
Death
• Illustration — East Germany's stamp of Wolf, 1988 On 5 October 1953, he died in his personal office in East Berlin. He was cremated and honoured with burial at the Memorial to the Socialists (Gedenkstätte der Sozialisten) in the Friedrichsfelde Central Cemetery, Berlin. The Land Forces of the National People's Army named the 1st Motor Rifle Division's 1st Panzer Regiment in his honour, and in 1988, the Friedrich-Wolf-Medaille, a GDR national honour for health education, was named after him.
Works
Works
• Mohammed (1917, drama) • "Langemarck" (1917, story) • Das bist du (1919, drama) • Der Unbedingte (1919, drama) • Die Schwarze Sonne (1921, drama) • Tamar (1922, drama) • Die Schrankkomödie (1923, drama) • Der arme Konrad (1923, drama) • Das Heldenepos des alten Bundes (1924) • Kreatur (1925, novel) • Kolonne Hund (1926, drama) • Äther (1926) • Die Natur als Arzt und Helfer (1927) • Koritke (1927, drama) • "Der Kampf im Kohlenpott" (1927, novella) • Cyankali (1929, drama) • Die Matrosen von Cattaro (1930, drama) • Tai Yang erwacht (1930, drama) • Professor Mamlock (1933, drama) • Floridsdorf (1934, drama) • Das trojanische Pferd (1935, drama) • Chin Up, Anna! (1935, short story) • Zwei an der Grenze (1938, novel) • Beaumarchais (1940, drama) • "Der Russenpelz" (1942, novella) • Heimkehr der Söhne (1944, novel) • Dr. Lilli Wanner (1944, drama) • Was der Mensch säet (1945, drama) • Die letzte Probe (1946, drama) • Märchen für große und kleine Kinder (1946) • Wie Tiere des Waldes (1947, drama) • The Council of the Gods (Der Rat der Götter) (1949, filmscript) • Bürgermeister Anna (1949, comedy) • Menetekel (1952, novel) • Thomas Müntzer (1952, drama, film expose)
Career and activity
Career and activity
Friedrich Wolf worked in creative and professional writing, prose, drama, medicine and politics. Recorded positions include ambassador of East Germany to Poland and ambassador. He belonged to Academy of Arts of the GDR, Association of Proletarian-Revolutionary Authors and National Committee for a Free Germany. He worked at Dresden, Remscheid, Hechingen and Stuttgart.
Identity
Identity
Friedrich Wolf is recorded as having received Order of the Red Star, National Prize of East Germany and Commander with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1888
Friedrich Wolf born at Neuwied.
1953
Friedrich Wolf died at Lehnitz.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Neuwied.
Birth place
Lehnitz.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 134378415, Friedrich, Wolf.
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q77447: Friedrich Wolf
Reputable secondary · Wikimedia Foundation
Awards and decorations
• Order of the Red Star (1943) • National Prize of East Germany • 2nd class for Professor Mamlock (1949) • 1st Class for The Council of the Gods (1950)
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 134378415, Friedrich, Wolf.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Partially resolvedreference work
Wikidata, structured authority record Q77447: Friedrich WolfWikimedia Foundation
Partially resolved
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
He also worked under the names Christian Baetz, Hans Rüedi and Dr. His recorded language was German. 3 children are recorded: Markus Wolf, Konrad Wolf and Thomas Naumann. Wolf received Order of the Red Star, National Prize of East Germany and Commander with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta. Connected to 2 other published records in the VALÉORINE Encyclopedia.
Identity and origins
Recognition and collections
Within the Encyclopedia
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
38,960 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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