Hegen was born on 23 April 1907 in Hunschgrün, Austria-Hungary (today non-existent village in the territory of Hory, Czech Republic), the son of a miner.
Following the total occupation of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany, Hegen emigrated to the Soviet Union in 1939, where he worked as a locksmith and mechanic.
[1] Following the conclusion of the Second World War, Hegen helped organize the resettlement of Sudeten German refugees who had been expelled from Czechoslovakia.
[3] He then served as Minister of the Interior of Saxony-Anhalt until the reforms in the German Democratic Republic dissolved the state governments in 1952.
After the conclusion of the uprising, he was rebuked and accused of capitulation by Walter Ulbricht because Hegen felt compelled to negotiate with representatives of demonstrators.
[5][6] Hegen was chosen to replace Stefan Heymann due to his reputation as a hardliner within the Socialist Unity Party (SED).