"German-Polish Relations in the Long 19th Century in the Context of Southwest German History" was the theme of the academic colloquium organised by the Siebenpfeiffer Foundation. Under the direction of Prof. Dr Wilhelm Kreutz, Chairman of the Hambach Society for Historical Research and Political Education and Chair of the Department of History at the University of Mannheim, researchers from various disciplines discussed aspects and developments that shed light on German-Polish relations from a historical and current perspective. The conference took place over two days in the parliamentary wing of the Homburg Forum.
German scholar Gabriela Brudzynska-Nemec (Dresden) explained the great solidarity shown to Polish freedom fighters in Homburg at the beginning of the 1830s. During the Polish uprising against Russia, donations were collected on a large scale to support them. And when the expelled or expelled protagonists travelled along fixed routes to their exile in France, they were given lavish receptions in the region. Prof. Dr. Peter Oliver Loew, Director of the German Poland Institute in Darmstadt, took a somewhat more critical view of the "Polish enthusiasm" at the Hambach Festival in 1832: even though representatives of the Polish freedom movement were present and the Polish flag was raised alongside the German tricolour, this enthusiasm on the part of the Poles was instrumentalised by the Hambach movement to pursue its own goals. Nevertheless, this "participation of the Poles" should be interpreted as a symbol of the striving for a "Europe of democratic nation states".
Wolfgang Obermaier, a history teacher from Hanover, discussed the "image of Poland" that characterised the debate in the first freely elected parliament in Frankfurt's Paulskirche in 1848/49. He quoted from speeches in which the chauvinistic attitude towards Poles became clear, especially in Prussia. His conclusion: "The ideology of the Nazis, which contrasted the German master race with the supposedly inferior Poles, was already being formed during this period."
Dr Jürgen Dick, historian from Bruchsal, traced the course of the uprisings in the Palatinate and Baden in May and June 1849. Polish officers played an important role in this military conflict as commanders of the democratically-minded irregulars. Ultimately, however, all efforts proved futile against the highly armed Prussian military.
Prof Dr Klaus Ziemer, retired Director of the German Historical Institute in Warsaw, spoke about the domestic political situation in Poland one year after the parliamentary elections in 2023 and current German-Polish relations. He emphasised the intensity with which the PiS party, which governed Poland between 2015 and 2023, was dismantling democratic institutions and structures.
Dr Theophil Gallo, District Administrator of the Saarpfalz-Kreis, Chairman of both the Foundation and the German-Polish Society Saar, spoke about the necessity and impact of the municipal partnerships that the Saarpfalz-Kreis maintains with regions in Poland and Ukraine. They help to support and deepen relations at a different level. He also emphasised the value of the school partnerships that have existed for years, which are maintained through Spohns Haus and the Begegnungen auf der Grenze association. "The ongoing contacts, which should be expanded in the spirit of the Weimar Triangle and, together with Ukraine, lead to a 'Weimar Triangle 2.0', can only be beneficial for all sides. In view of the current developments around us, we should definitely listen more to the advice of our Eastern European partners. We Germans must learn to better understand the Poles, who are very open-minded towards us; we know too little about Poland's fate and about what drives people in Poland. I would even go so far as to say that in future we will need our friends in Poland and Ukraine more than we realise, that we will even be dependent on them. Currently, interested parties in Germany are trying to play down the situation in Ukraine and the associated risks for Germany and Europe. The resilience of our Eastern European partners, on the other hand, is our opportunity," he emphasised in conclusion.
The papers presented at the colloquium will be published in a revised and expanded version as volume 13 in the series "Schriften der Siebenpfeiffer-Stiftung".