Philanthropy

Jauch in 2008

Jauch is characterised by his secluded lifestyle. He stated in interviews that he takes the liberty of leading a life that does not correspond to his supposed economic possibilities. According to his own statement, he has spent considerable amounts of his income, including all the profit from advertising jobs, on charitable causes since the early years of his career.^[10] In 2002, he made significant financial contributions to the reconstruction of the Fortunaportal (Gate of the Fortuna) at the Potsdam Stadtschloss city palace. Jauch has also given financial support to other projects in Potsdam, e.g. the Belvedere on the Pfingstberg, (where he got married in 2006), the Potsdam city canal, the Kloebersaal,^[11] a hall in the north wing of the Marmorpalais (Marble Palace), which is opposite his villa at Heiligen See lake, as well as the restoration of the Neptungrotte (Neptune Grotto) in the palace gardens of Schloss Sanssouci.^[12] Furthermore, he supported the construction of the Marienschule Potsdam, a co-educational Roman-Catholic school for primary and secondary education, which belongs to the archdiocese of Berlin.^[13][14] The prime minister of Brandenburg, Matthias Platzeck, called him a citizen every mayor could ever wish for.^[15] Jauch was an ambassador for the Berlin Pro-Reli-Kampagne, a petition which aimed to change the Education Act of the state of Berlin in order to introduce religious studies as an elective subject instead of ethics as a sole compulsory subject. The campaign eventually failed in April 2009.

Jauch's ancestress on his grandmother's side, Anna Weißebach, founded the Caritas Konferenzen, the German branch of the International Association of Charities. Jauch's own family set up soup kitchens in Hamburg as early as the 19th and 20th century and founded and maintained poorhouses in Hamburg and other places. In line with his family's tradition of charitable foundations, Jauch endowed the founding of a branch of Die Arche in Drewitz (Potsdam) in 2009, which provides free meals for children in need. He also covers ongoing property and personnel expenses.^[16] Die Arche – Christliches Kinder- und Jugendwerk e.V. is a Christian organisation for children and adolescents.

Vineyard owner

Jauch also continues a 200-year-old family tradition of wine-growing.^[17] In 2010, he successfully applied for membership in the German Prädikat Wine Estates VDP (German: "Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter"), in order to acquire a relative's vineyard (Othegraven in Kanzem) which was approved by VDP that certifies Germany's wines that meet the organizations requirements.^[18] The entire property, including a mansion and an English Garden, has been subject to preservation orders since 2003.

Jauch's family has been running the winery since 1805, when his ancestor and merchant Emmerich Grach bought the property. Jauch's grandmother Elsa von Othegraven, his grandfather Hans Jauch and his father Ernst-Alfred Jauch were part of the community of heirs. However, in 1996 the winery was inherited by a distant relative.

In order to ensure that the winery was not going to be sold to a party outside the family, Jauch decided to buy it.^[19] One of the previous owners had been Jauch's famous great-great-uncle, Franz Weißebach. According to the VDP, the vineyard is a gem of a vineyard, rare in its quality and attractive location.^[17] In 2011, Jauch acquired a further vineyard (Wawerner Herrenberg) in Wawern that is 3.5 acres.^[20] It had also belonged to his ancestor Emmerich Grach. Jauch also co-produced wines that supermarket chain Aldi has been selling under his name since 2018.^[21]

Dispute about privacy

Jauch wanted to legally prohibit any type of media coverage in the preparation of his wedding in July 2006. The Landgericht Berlin granted him an interim injunction against the newspaper Bild and other publications of the Springer publishing house.^[22] The Kammergericht Berlin, however, decided against a prohibition of general media coverage in June 2006 due to his celebrity status. According to the judges, they were allowed to report about the date and place of the wedding.^[23] After the magazine Bunte published photos of the wedding and details about the ceremony, Thea Jauch went to court against the publishing house to demand damages and compensation for pain and suffering totalling 325,000 Euros. The Landgericht Hamburg awarded her only 25,000 Euros compensation in January 2008. The judgment was set aside by the Hanseatisches Oberlandesgericht in October 2008. As a public figure, interest in Jauch's wedding was legitimate, it said. An anew appeal was refused by the Federal Constitutional Court. The demand for damages by Jauch in a separate lawsuit was in vain as well.

The couple then went before the European Court of Human Rights to claim that the German justice system did not protect Jauch's right to privacy sufficiently and breached his right to protection of property, because they did not award him damages for the published photos. The court in Strasbourg affirmed the public's interest in his wedding and therefore, their claims were without cause. German justice had carefully weighed between the right to privacy and the freedom of the press, it said. The complaint was declared inadmissible.^[24]