First president of reunited Germany dies

Former German president Richard von Weizsäcker, hailed for his moral leadership in post-war Germany, has died, the president's office said Saturday. He was 94.

Weizsäcker, a member of German chancellor Angela Merkel's  Christian Democrat party, played a major role in Germany's handling of its Nazi past, calling May 8, 1945, a day of "liberation" for his country rather than a surrender.

The first president of a reunited Germany, he played a major role in helping the country face up to its Nazi past. During his 10 years in the office, he did not shy away from thorny political debates such as on integration, and won recognition at home and abroad.

Though the post is largely ceremonial, he became known as the "political president" with a knack for giving stirring speeches that were often shaped by his own history.

In his most memorable address, marking 40 years after the end of World War II, he told lawmakers that May 8, 1945, marked "a day of liberation from the inhuman system of National Socialist tyranny".

Weizsäcker was born in the southwestern city of Stuttgart on April 15, 1920, the fourth child of an aristocratic family. As his father was a diplomat, he spent his early years in different European cities before studying at Britain's Oxford University and in Grenoble, southeastern France.

Weizsaecker, who had three sons and a daughter with his wife, Marianne, continued to be involved in public life after leaving office.