WE TAKE AN EXCLUSIVE TOUR | The local German press turns to Paul Gauselmann's farewell: "A region of mourning"
Newspapers, radio stations and regional media in North Rhine-Westphalia have devoted extensive coverage to the founder of the Merkur Group, highlighting his business weight, the thousands of jobs created and an economic and social contribution that they consider decisive for Espelkamp, Lübbecke and the whole of Ostwestfalen-Lippe.
The death of Paul Gauselmann, founder of the Merkur Group, on August 21 at the age of 91, has generated an extraordinary impact in the German local and regional press. From the publication of the first information to the biographical profiles, political reactions and public acts of mourning, the media have built a story in which the businessman appears as one of the most influential personalities in the recent history of Ostwestfalen-Lippe.
The expression used by Neue Westfälische, "Eine Region in Trauer" – "A region of mourning" – sums up the dominant tone of a coverage that far transcends the business and gaming industry.
Neue Westfälische, one of the main newspapers in Ostwestfalen-Lippe, published on August 21 the news item entitled "Unternehmer Paul Gauselmann ist tot" – "The entrepreneur Paul Gauselmann is dead".
The newspaper reviewed Gauselmann's evolution from its beginnings as a sole proprietor to the creation of an international group with approximately 15,000 employees and annual revenues of close to 2.1 billion euros.
The article attaches particular importance to the more than 2,000 jobs that the Merkur Group maintains in Espelkamp and Lübbecke, as well as to the major donations made by Gauselmann in recent years.
The same newspaper published a second and much more emotional report: "Unternehmer mit viel Herz für den Kreis Minden-Lübbecke: Paul Gauselmann gestorben" – "A businessman with a lot of heart for the district of Minden-Lübbecke: Paul Gauselmann has died".
The information recalls that Gauselmann repeatedly supported Espelkamp and Lübbecke with millionaire contributions and turned Schloss Benkhausen into one of the heritage symbols of the region.
The newspaper reports the reactions of mayors Henning Vieker and Philipp Knappmeyer and recalls their involvement in children's, health, sports, cultural and emergency projects.
Neue Westfälische continued the coverage on 25 August with "Ehrenbürger Paul Gauselmann gestorben – Trauerbeflaggung in Espelkamp" – "Honourary citizen Paul Gauselmann dies: flags of mourning in Espelkamp".
This third article focuses on the public tribute that the city is preparing and on the testimonies of the residents of Gestringen, where Schloss Benkhausen is located. Espelkamp will place its flags at half-mast to coincide with the farewell ceremony.
Westfalen-Blatt published the obituary "Merkur-Gründer Paul Gauselmann im Alter von 91 Jahren verstorben" — "Merkur founder Paul Gauselmann dies at 91."
The headline highlights from its intro that "few businessmen have marked the region as much as he has". It also points out that the news was unexpected because, despite his mobility problems, Gauselmann continued to personally participate in public events and donation deliveries.
The newspaper remembers him as an honorary citizen of Espelkamp and Lübbecke, as well as founder and maximum promoter of one of the main business groups in the region.
The regional public broadcaster WDR headlined its wide-ranging profile "Automatenkönig aus Espelkamp: Paul Gauselmann ist tot" (Paul Gauselmann, the king of Espelkamp's machines, dies).
WDR presents him as a self-made entrepreneur who went from being the son of a working family to becoming a billionaire and one of the most important business figures in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Hallo Minden published "Ein Nachruf auf Paul Gauselmann" ("An Obituary on Paul Gauselmann".
The text describes the founder of Merkur Group as one of the last business patriarchs of the post-war generation and notes that the news caused a real commotion at the Espelkamp headquarters and at the production facilities in Lübbecke.
The obituary presents Gauselmann as a close person to the workers, who knew him familiarly as "PG", and highlights that he continued to come personally to his office until a very old age.
Radio Westfalica opened its coverage with "Espelkamp: Unternehmer Paul Gauselmann gestorben" ("Espelkamp: Businessman Paul Gauselmann is dead".
The first information recalls the company's growth from an individual business to a group with about 15,000 employees. It also highlights its donations for nurseries, fire vehicles and medical equipment.
The station subsequently published "Minden-Lübbecke: Reaktionen auf Tod von Paul Gauselmann" (Minden-Lübbecke: Reactions to the Death of Paul Gauselmann).
This second piece collects, among others, the reaction of the federal deputy Oliver Vogt, who highlighted his courage and extraordinary entrepreneurial capacity, and that of the mayor of Espelkamp, Henning Vieker, who underlined his special commitment to the city and to the entire district.
The coverage continued with "Espelkamp: Trauer um Paul Gauselmann" — "Espelkamp, mourning Paul Gauselmann."
Radio Westfalica reported the opening of a book of condolence at Schloss Benkhausen and the laying of flowers and wreaths in front of the statue of the businessman located on the premises.
Radio Bielefeld published "Glücksspiel-Unternehmer tot: Paul Gauselmann wurde 91 Jahre alt" – "Gambling entrepreneur Paul Gauselmann dies at 91".
The broadcaster ranks him among the biggest businessmen in Ostwestfalen-Lippe and underlines his long-standing support for regional sport, especially in the Minden-Lübbecke district and clubs such as Arminia Bielefeld.
The local coverage coincides in four major dimensions of Paul Gauselmann's legacy: job creation, business roots, support for sport and his activity as a patron.
The media especially remember the six million euros allocated to the construction of two kindergartens, the 8.7 million euros given to Espelkamp for different municipal projects and the contribution of five million euros to Lübbecke.
Together, these three actions add up to approximately 19.7 million euros.
Also noteworthy are his contributions to the Medical Campus OWL and Mühlenkreiskliniken, including support for surgical and diagnostic equipment; his involvement in fire and emergency projects; and his decisive relationship with TuS N-Lübbecke.
The handball club published its own obituary under the title "Danke, Paul Gauselmann!" —"Thank you, Paul Gauselmann!" —, in which it maintains that it would not have been able to reach its current configuration without the continued support of the businessman.
The dimension of the reaction is also seen in the obituaries published in Neue Westfälische and Westfalen-Blatt.
The joint funerary portal of the regional capitals counted ten announcements or obituaries related to Paul Gauselmann.
Among the entities that publicly expressed their condolences are the cities of Espelkamp and Lübbecke, Merkur Group, Mühlenkreiskliniken, TuS N-Lübbecke, TuS Nettelstedt, Tennisverein Espelkamp-Mittwald and Lions Club Lübbecke-Espelkamp, in addition to the family itself.
At the moment, none of the main local publications link Paul Gauselmann's death with possible instability in the Merkur Group or with doubts about his succession.
The coverage interprets the death fundamentally as a human, social and symbolic loss for a region closely linked to the growth of the group.
The predominant story is that of a businessman who decided to keep Espelkamp and Lübbecke as the centre of gravity of an international company and who returned part of his economic success through social, sporting and cultural investments.
The farewell ceremony, scheduled for 8 September at Schloss Benkhausen, is expected to open a new phase of news coverage and will bring together representatives from business, politics, sport and leading regional institutions.
Pedro Poveda
1 de septiembre 2026
