Early years Metz was born in a small village in northern central Germany some 35 km (20 miles) south of
Schwerin, approximately two months after the end of the
Second World War. By the time of his birth, the entire region had been incorporated into the post-war
Soviet occupation zone which in October 1949 would become the
German Democratic Republic,
sponsored by the
Soviet Union and in most respects operating under Soviet-style political and administrative institutions. After passing his
School Final Exams in 1964, Horst Metz trained as a
hydraulic engineer. Between 1965 and 1970, he studied at the
Dresden University of Technology. He then undertook further research, obtaining his doctorate in 1972.
Professional career In 1972, Metz moved south and worked until 1987 as a researcher with the
Elbe Waterways and Shipping Office in
Dresden. In 1987 he took over as departmental head at the
VEB Water Supply and Waste water treatment Service (WAB) in Dresden. In 1990 he took a job with the
District Administration as Head of the Environmental Protection Department. The enquiry sat till May 1990, and Metz evidently emerged more widely known and with his own reputation enhanced. He retained his seat until 2009. Following his resignation as Finance Minister, however, Horst Metz would continue to defend the decisions he had taken to save the bank, and the way in which it was done. ==References==