"Marie Curie was an incredibly big role model for me as a child. There are only four people who have received more than one Nobel Prize, and she is the only woman among them," says Chancellor Angela Merkel. Marie Curie's work studying radioactivity led to a Nobel Prize in physics in 1903. For her discovery of the elements radium and polonium, Curie was awarded a Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1911.

"Willy Brandt […] is a role model and inspiration; his vision of a just society in a unified Europe still fascinates me today," says Schulz, pictured with a statue of Brandt. The former head of the Social Democrats and West German chancellor from 1969 to 1974 is remembered as a figure of conciliation between the East and West.

"Willy Brandt showed us that politics need a vision, and should be more than pure pragmatism," says Özdemir. As one of the Greens' two candidates (with Katrin Göring-Eckardt), Özdemir sees Brandt's global mindset and push for peace in Europe as a guide. This image of Brandt kneeling at the Ghetto Heroes Monument in Warsaw is iconic.

"Rosa Luxemburg was a role model for me. She was a fierce woman who followed a straight path. She didn't let herself be bought; instead, she took a stand, even though it ended tragically," says Wagenknecht (candidate with Dietmar Bartsch). As founder of the revolutionary socialist group Spartacus League, later the Communist Party, Luxemburg, pictured in 1914, supported the working class.

"Genscher is one of the most commendable statesmen in our country and was an architect of unity. He was an icon for the FDP and a fatherly friend," says Lindner pictured with Genscher on the screen. For some 20 years, the "eternal foreign minister" shaped Germany's image abroad, focusing on disarmament, detente and reconciliation with the East. His life's work was crowned by reunification in 1990.

"One of my historical role models is French Foreign Minister Talleyrand from Napoleon's day," says Gauland (candidate with Alice Weidel). "He represented the clever principle: Always help your enemy to save face, because you will need him.'" The 18th-century nobleman was regarded as an opportunist who served many masters: the church, the French Revolution, Napoleon and the Bourbons.

"My role model is my father. He was an honest, straightforward and reliable man. He was committed to the Christian faith. That has impacted my life," says the younger Herrmann. His father, the German lawyer Johannes Herrmann (above), taught law at various German universities until his death in 1987. Like his son, he was also politically engaged and spent 17 years serving in the Bavarian Senate.