Former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Guest of Honour at the Ständehaus Gathering

DÜSSELDORF, Germany, March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt was the guest of honour at the 50^th anniversary of the gathering at the Ständehaus-Treff.

     (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20120321/519502 )

Almost every figure of note from the world of German politics and economics has attended the prestige event in Düsseldorf at one time or another.

Famous politicians and business leaders are interviewed by a leading journalist during the event, which is hosted by SIGNA Property Funds, headed by real estate investor René Benko.

This time around the 93-year old guest of honour Helmut Schmidt was interviewed for an hour at the podium by the editor-in-chief of Germany's most widely read weekly newspaper Die ZEIT, Giovanni de Lorenzo - just as in the famous column, "A Cigarette with Helmut Schmidt".

On the occasion of the anniversary event, René Benko said he was proud to welcome Germany's  most popular individual today to discover his views on world affairs, the current situation in Europe and the most recent developments in Germany.

The art of probing not only the political views, but also the private life of its guests has, over the years, made the gathering at the Ständehaus one of the most coveted invitations in Germany.

The event has become the major premise for the 'Elder Statesmen' of German politics.

Previous guests at the event series, which takes place four times a year, include Chancellor Angela Merkel, former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, former President Christian Wulff, former Federal Minister of Defense Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Federal Minister of Finance Wolfgang Schäuble, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle as well as the Telekom Chief Executive René Obermann and Entertainer Herman van Veen, among others.

Photo caption: "Ex-Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and SIGNA Chief René Benko at the Ständehaus-Treff in Düsseldorf".