Otto Martin von der Gablentz (9 October 1930 – 13 July 2007) was a Germandiplomat.He was ambassador to the Netherlands between 1983 and 1990, ambassador to Israel from 1990 to 1993 and between 1993 and 1995 was ambassador to theRussian Federation. He served asRector of theCollege of Europe from 1996 until 2001.
He was born and studied law in Berlin, also studying inFreiburg. He studied at theCollege of Europe in 1953 and returned to his alma mater as an assistant in 1955 and 1956. He began his diplomatic career in 1959.As a diplomat, he served as the Germanambassador to the Netherlands (1983–1990), Israel (1990–1993) and Russia (1993–1995).He was Rector of the College of Europe from 1996 until 2001. He died on 13 July 2007 in Amsterdam.
Son of Otto Heinrich von der Gablentz and his wife Hilda, née Zietlow, Otto studied law at theFree University of Berlin and at theAlbert-Ludwigs-University inFreiburg, graduating in 1952. In 1953 he completed a course in sociology at theCollege of Europe inBruges, followed by a postgraduate degree in political science atSt Antony's College, Oxford andHarvard University, which he completed in 1955 with a Bachelor of Philosophy. He then began his professional career as a political scientist at theGerman Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), where he dealt with theBerlin question, as well as working as academic assistant at theCollege of Europe in 1955-1956.
In 1959 Gablentz joined the German foreign service and a term at the headquarters of the Federal Foreign Office inBonn he worked from 1961 to 1964 at the embassy inAustralia, among others. He then worked between 1964 and 1967 at the Legation Council in the unit "reunification" of the Federal Foreign Office[1] and since 1967 in theUnited Kingdom. In 1973 he became Head of Unit for European Political Unification and moved to the Federal Chancellery under ChancellorHelmut Schmidt in 1978, where he became Head of Department for Foreign and Defense Policy in 1981.
After the change of government, Gablentz succeededGerhard Fischer as ambassador to theNetherlands in 1983 and remained there until his replacement byKlaus-Jürgen Citron in 1990. He then took over the post of ambassador fromIsrael toWilhelm Haas in 1990, where he was succeeded byFranz Bertele . During that time he became an Honorary Fellow of theHebrew University of Jerusalem in 1993. Most recently, he succeededKlaus Blech as ambassador to theRussian Federation in 1993 and remained in this position until he retired in 1995, whereuponErnst-Jörg von Studnitz became his successor there. In 1997 theUniversity of Amsterdam awarded him an honorary doctorate. From 1996 to 2001 he was rector of theCollege of Europe inBruges and lived his last years inAmsterdam.
He had five children from his marriage to Christa Gerke in February 1965.
Otto von der Gablentz died inAmsterdam in 2007 at the age of 76. He was buried in theDahlem cemetery inBerlin.[2]
TheOtto-von-der-Gablentz-Preis, awarded each two years in the Netherlands, to a personality or organization that has made a special contribution to promoting good relations between the Netherlands and Germany or to a united Europe, is named after him.
| Preceded by | Rectors of the College of Europe 1996–2001 | Succeeded by |
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