The death of Germany's 'best' businessman

Götz Werner leaves Germany with a positive legacy shaped by an eccentric belief system.

Götz Werner. Photo: dm-drogerie markt GmbH

Anthroposophists have had something of a bad rap of late.

The quasi-religious movement founded by Rudolf Steiner in the early 20th century is best known for the Waldorf schools middle class hippies send their kids to. But it has gained notoriety over the past 12 months due to the suspicion many of its adherents have towards Covid vaccines.

In the state of Baden-Württemburg in the southwest, which is the cradle of anthroposophy, vaccine take up has been low. Stuttgart is also the birthplace of the anti-lockdown Querdenker movement. Some observers have linked this to the local popularity of Steiner’s worldview, which sees illness as a necessary path for ridding the body of imbalances carried over from previous lives.

But some sad news from this week highlights the good that anthroposophy can do in the world. 

The death of dm drugstore founder, Götz Werner, was met with universal grief, due to the fact that his anthroposophic beliefs had given him a…