section_path: Personal life
section_name: Personal life
paragraph_text: Personal life
  
  Merz is married to judge Charlotte Merz (née Gass). They have three children together and reside in Arnsberg in the Sauerland region. He is the first chancellor in 27 years (since Helmut Kohl) to have biological children (although Gerhard Schröder adopted a daughter from Russia in July 2004). Their son, born in 1981, holds a doctorate in philosophy, their elder daughter is a physician, and their younger daughter is a lawyer. Merz has seven grandchildren. In 2005, Merz and his wife established the Friedrich und Charlotte Merz Stiftung, a foundation supporting projects in the education sector. In addition to his native language Merz also speaks English and French.
  
  In 2018, Merz rejected the Ludwig Erhard Prize, citing objections to publications by the chairman of the Ludwig Erhard Foundation, Roland Tichy, considered by some to be on the extreme right.