Hans Schuierer (born 6 February 1931 in Schwandorf-Klardorf) is a former German local politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He was the Landrat (district administrator) of the Schwandorf district (Bavaria) from 1972 to 1996 and became known as an opponent of the Wackersdorf reprocessing plant (WAA).
Personal life Schuierer trained as a bricklayer and road builder. In 1956, he entered local politics, initially as a member of the municipal council, then shortly thereafter as the first mayor of Klardorf (now part of Schwandorf),Hans Schuierer ist Schwandorfer Ehrenbürger - Region Schwandorf, Mittelbayerische Zeitung, 27 January 2019 and subsequently as district administrator of the Burglengenfeld district. From the 1972 regional reform, Schuierer served as district administrator of the Schwandorf district in the Upper Palatinate. He gained nationwide notoriety in the mid-1980s when he rejected a permit for the Wackersdorf reprocessing plant (WAA).Der Held der Sozis - Der SPD-Landrat Hans Schuierer wurde als Gesicht des friedlichen Widerstands gegen die WAA in den 80ern bundesweit zur "Ikone"., Süddeutsche Zeitung, 4 February 2021 For four years, he defied the directive of the Bavarian state government and, despite disciplinary proceedings initiated against him, did not waver from his position.
Schuierer spent his retirement in his hometown, which is now part of Schwandorf. Until 2008, he served on the Upper Palatinate District Council. In 2011, he was made an honorary citizen of Schwandorf.Er rettete uns vor der WAA – Altlandrat Hans Schuierer erhält heute die Ehrenbürgerwürde der Stadt Schwandorf., Mittelbayerische Zeitung, 27 January 2011
WAA resistance and "Lex Schuierer"
Although Schuierer initially supported the Wackersdorf reprocessing plant (WAA),Matthias Schmidt: Ein Held namens Hans, Der Stern, 13 September 2018, ISSN=0039-1239 he described it as economic nonsense in 1985 and believed it would never go into operation.Ulrich Stock: Die Ohnmacht schlägt durch. Ein Tagebuch des Widerstands im Wald., Die Zeit, 20 December 1985 Schuierer and his deputy, Dietmar Zierer, refused to sign the water and building permits for the construction of the Wackersdorf WAA until the Bavarian state government circumvented this with the "Lex Schuierer"."Lex Schuierer" kam nur einmal zur Anwendung., Mittelbayerische Zeitung, 3 March 2012Wiederaufbereitungsanlage Wackersdorf in: Historisches Lexikon Bayerns
The "Lex Schuierer" introduced Article 3a into the Bavarian Administrative Procedure Act, allowing supervisory authorities to intervene themselves. This means that if a subordinate district office, acting as a state authority, fails to act even after being instructed to do so, the district government can make a decision itself. After the law came into effect on August 1, 1985, the Upper Palatinate government issued the water and building permits in October 1985 instead of the Schwandorf district office., SPD Bavaria, 16 October 2012 His representative Zierer assessed this approach with the polemical words: "A dictatorship would not have behaved much differently."Bayern: Auch eine Diktatur, Der Spiegel, 4 November 1985
The SPD district administrator was subjected to several disciplinary proceedings.Helge Holler: Wackersdorf – Erinnerungen an den Ausnahmezustand, Greenpeace, 29 May 2009 Schuierer held the view that the difference between Chile, South Africa, and other military dictatorships and the Free State of Bavaria was "becoming ever smaller".Mund halten, Herr Landrat! – Disziplinarverfahren gegen einen SPD-Mann, weil er Bayern mit Südafrika verglich., Die Zeit, 22 April 1988 He clashed with the WAA supporter Franz Josef Strauss and spoke of "one-man democracy of the Strauss type", "CSU democracy", and "terror in its purest form". Conversely, Strauss and his Interior Minister August Lang called Schuierer a "supporter of communism", "inciter of hatred", and "ringleader" and accused him of "sabotage". During the civil-military WINTEX exercise, an attack by a heavily armed peace initiative on Schuierer was "coincidentally" simulated in the basement of the district administration building.Martyrium fortsetzen, Der Spiegel, 3 April 1989Dieser Mann bezwang einst Strauß – und verhinderte so die Atomfabrik in der Oberpfalz. HP (This man once defeated Strauß – and thus prevented the construction of a nuclear power plant in the Upper Palatinate.) Heribert Prantl in Süddeutsche Zeitung, 29 January 2026Kämpfer gegen die WAA wird 95 - Der Mann, der Franz Josef Strauß zur Weißglut trieb, mahnt heute vor der AfD. (Anti-nuclear power plant campaigner turns 95 - The man who drove Franz Josef Strauss to a white-hot rage warns against the AfD today.) Mittelbayerische Zeitung, 5 February 2026
Schuierer joined the citizens' initiatives at the information booth and supported the shantytowns.Zurück am Zaun - Aug' in Aug': Der frühere Landrat Hans Schuierer und Polizist Michael Hinrichsen standen in den Achtzigern auf unterschiedlichen Seiten. - Süddeutsche Zeitung, 24 August 2017) In retrospect, Schuierer considered the WAA (nuclear reprocessing plant) "a complete and utter pack of lies from beginning to end."Hans Schuierer plaudert nach Wackersdorf-Film aus Nähkästchen, Onetz, 8 September 2019 Der erste Schritt zum Atomausstieg - 25 Jahre Baustopp WAA Wackersdorf (PDF; 4,7 MB), Der Freistaat, December 2014 p. 15) Rede Hans Schuierer zu 25 Jahre Baustopp WAA Wackersdorf am 30. Mai 2014 in Schwandorf, YouTube, 34 Min. However, he was surprised that prominent figures such as Hans-Jochen Vogel, Johannes Rau, Joschka Fischer, Petra Kelly, Karl-Heinz Böhm, and Dietmar Schönherr came to visit him and protest against the WAA.Hans Schuierer: Die Oberpfälzer Symbolfigur für Demokratie und Schutz der Heimat wird 90 Jahre alt, Der Ostbayern Kurier, 6 February 2021
Together with his fellow campaigner , Schuierer visited schools and events to ensure that the memory of the fight for their Upper Palatinate homeland would not be forgotten.Zur Erinnerung an Proteste gegen WAA - Realschule Vohenstrauß, Oberpfalz TV, 21 February 2018
In the feature film Wackersdorf by Oliver Haffner, Hans Schuierer was portrayed by Johannes Zeiler.BR.de: Wackersdorf-Film feiert Premiere beim Filmfest München, BR, 6 June 2018
Awards and honors 1987: Wilhelm Dröscher Prize 2005: Wilhelm Hoegner Prize of the SPD Parliamentary Group 2005: Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 2011: Honorary citizenship of the City of Schwandorf 2014: Honorary Award of the Nuclear-Free Future Award for Lifetime AchievementHans Schuierer, Nuclear-Free Future FoundationWhen resistance becomes a duty Beyond Nuclear International Nuclear-Free Future Foundation 2019: Sepp Daxenberger Prize 2019: Bayerische Verfassungsmedaille (Bavarian Constitution Medal) in SilverTerminhinweis: Bayerischer Landtag ehrt 43 Persönlichkeiten mit der Verfassungsmedaille 2019, Landtag of Bavaria 2026: Bayerische Naturschutzmedaille (Bavarian Nature Conservation Medal)BUND Naturschutz ehrt Hans Schuierer in Schwandorf und warnt vor Rodung, Oberpfalzecho, 1 April 2026
Film documents 2014: Speech by Hans Schuierer on the 25th anniversary of the WAA Wackersdorf construction halt, 34 minRede Hans Schuierer zu 25 Jahre Baustopp WAA Wackersdorf, SPD-Fraktion im Bayerischen Landtag, 30 May 2014, 34 min
2016: 30th anniversary of the WAA construction halt, Oberpfalz TV, 3 min30. Jahrestag Baustopp WAA, Oberpfalz TV 2016, 3 min
2018: Wackersdorf (film) – The feature film shows how Hans Schuierer, the district administrator of Schwandorf, fought against the Wackersdorf reprocessing plant (WAA). 122 minWackersdorf, IMDb
2018: Living History: Hans Schuierer, the former district administrator of Wackersdorf, remembers. 24 minErlebte Geschichte: Hans Schuierer, der ehemalige Landrat von Wackersdorf, erinnert sich. / WDR 5-Radio, 19 January 2018 auf YouTube, 24 min Der Protest von Wackersdorf - Hans Schuierer, WDR 5
2018: Hans Schuierer talks about the Wackersdorf reprocessing plant, 8 minHans Schuierer im Gespräch, Donaukurier (Ingolstadt), 21 September 2018, YouTube, 8 min
2018: Book presentation: Hans Schuierer – Symbolic figure of peaceful resistance against the WAA. 7 minVorstellung des Buches Hans Schuierer in der Schwandorfer Oberpfalzhalle, TVA (Fernsehen) /Ostbayern HD, October 2018, 7 min
2018: Hans, stay here... Title song and video for the book "Hans Schuierer", Music: "GAMPE – Americana from Bavaria", 5 minHans bleib do ..., Schuierer song 2018, YouTube 5 min
2018: Irmgard and the Resistance Socks, documentary from the BR television series "Lebenslinien" (Lifelines) 2018 with Hans Schuierer, 44 minLebenslinien – Irmgard Gietls Kampf gegen die WAA Wackersdorf, Bayerischer Rundfunk, 29 July 2023, 44 min
2019: End of the WAA - Hans Schuierer and catholic priest Richard Salzl at the final demonstration at the construction fence, BR24, 2 minEnde der WAA (1989), Hans Schuierer auf der Abschlussdemo am Bauzaun, BR24, 6 June 2019, YouTube 2 min
2021: Hans Schuierer's 90th Birthday, BR Television, 2 minBR24-Zeitreise: Hans Schuierer zum 90. Geburtstag, Bayerischer Rundfunk, 5 February 2021
2022: 33 years since the construction halt of the reprocessing plant in Wackersdorf, among others with Hans Schuierer, Oberpfalz TV, 12 minLandkreis Schwandorf: 33 Jahre Baustopp der Wiederaufarbeitungsanlage in Wackersdorf, Oberpfalz TV 2022, 12 min
2022: Hans Schuierer: The Man Against the Nuclear Plant - Based on a True Story, Arte, 27 minHans Schuierer: Der Mann gegen die Atomanlage - Nach einer wahren Geschichte, Arte 2022, 27 min
2025: Decision on the Wackersdorf reprocessing plant site (1985), reactions from Hubert Weinzierl and Hans Schuierer, BR24, 2 minEntscheidung WAA-Standort Wackersdorf 1985, BR24, 5 February 2025, YouTube 2 Min
2026: Hans Schuirer turns 95!, OTV, 2 minHans Schuirer wird 95!, OTV 6. Februar 2026, 2 min
2026: 40 years after the Easter Monday demonstration: Hans Schuierer from BUND Naturschutz honored, OTV, 3 min40 Jahre nach Ostermontags-Demonstration: Hans Schuierer vom BUND Naturschutz ausgezeichnet, Oberpfalz TV, 31 March 2026, YouTube 3 Min
Eyewitness interviews with Hans Schuierer: 2014: Schuierer reports on the clearing of the second shantytown (Free Republic of Wackerland), the harsh crackdown by the police, criminal charges against police officers, and injured demonstrators. HdBG 2014, 4 MinInterview mit Hans Schuierer (1), Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte (HdBG), 15 March 2014, 4 Min 2014: Schuierer reports on the heated confrontations with Minister-President Franz Josef Strauss (CSU). HdBG 2014, 4 MinInterview mit Hans Schuierer (2), HdBG, 15 March 2014, 4 Min 2014: Schuierer reports on the particular brutality of the special police units from Berlin that were deployed against demonstrators in 1987. HdBG 2014, 4 MinInterview mit Hans Schuierer (3), HdBG, 15 March 2014, 4 Min 2025: Interview by Michael Sterner with Hans Schuierer 2025, 6 min... durch nichts zu ersetzen! Hans Schuierer, Landrat Schwandorf (a. D.) Interview von Michael Sterner mit Hans Schuierer, 16 February 2025, YouTube 6 min
Literature : Incorruptible – Hans Schuierer. A Life for the Citizens and Against the WAA. Burglengenfeld 1986, ISBN 3-925603-03-4.unbestechlich – Hans Schuierer., Fotos und Leseprobe auf oberpfalz-buch.de