35th anniversary of the German-Polish Neighbourhood Treaty

The Saarpfalz district is celebrating its anniversary with
international exchanges  

A historic milestone is currently marking its 35th anniversary: On 17 June 1991, the then Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl and the Polish Prime Minister Jan Krzysztof Bielecki, together with their respective Foreign Ministers, signed the “Treaty between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Poland on Good Neighbourliness and Friendly Cooperation” in Bonn. In the wake of the deep wounds of the Second World War and the fall of the Iron Curtain, this historic agreement laid the legal and political foundations for lasting reconciliation, close partnership and peaceful coexistence in the heart of Europe. The treaty not only secured minority rights and the inviolability of borders, but above all opened the doors to intensive cooperation at regional and local level, which has since formed the very heart of German-Polish friendship.

As a region situated directly on the Franco-German border, the Saarpfalz district recognised the power of reconciliation and international friendship at an early stage. Since the 1990s, the district has maintained close international ties and has continuously expanded its network of twinning partnerships. Building on the initial contacts and cultural exchanges organised by the association ‘Begegnungen auf der Grenze’ and the youth exchanges at Spohns Haus, the focus of German-Polish cooperation lies on the Saarpfalz district’s long-standing, oldest partnership with the Przemyśl district (Podkarpackie Voivodeship). This year, the Saarpfalz district looks back with pride on the 15th anniversary of this close relationship.

This long-standing partnership, which, in the spirit of the ‘Weimar Triangle’, also builds a bridge between France, Germany and Poland, has been coordinated with great dedication and brought to life from the very beginning by Dr Violetta Frys, Head of the European Affairs Unit and European Affairs Officer for the Saarpfalz district. Dr Frys was originally appointed by the then District Administrator Clemens Lindemann specifically to advance German-Polish cooperation and continued to expand the district’s partnerships under his successor, Dr Theophil Gallo. The current District Administrator, Frank John, can now look back on a solid foundation of community-focused projects, which Dr Frys continues to implement for the district.

Just how vibrant, academically profound and forward-looking this German-Polish spirit is in the anniversary year of 2026 was recently demonstrated at the Saarpfalz District’s Europe Week. This collaboration consistently links historical heritage with the most pressing issues of the present day. Together with international partners, key topics such as cooperation between biosphere reserves, the future of care for the elderly, the economic situation and the protection of public services were discussed. The highly topical issue of cyber security was also discussed in depth during a meeting with the CISPA Helmholtz Centre for Information Security.

The concrete benefits of this collaboration were further demonstrated by a workshop organised in May at the district administration on the topic of ‘Emergency Protocol System for the Saarpfalz District and Local Authorities’, delivered by the Polish consultancy firm JP Weber. This workshop also drew on recent, painful but valuable experiences from the war in Ukraine. The system presented for the rapid identification and management of crisis situations met with great interest from the districts with a view to future crisis preparedness.

The subsequent youth exchange in the district demonstrated that German-Polish cooperation is bearing fruit not only at an administrative level but also at a grassroots level: A group of eleven young scouts from the Polish ZHR association in the partner district of Łańcut (also in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship) travelled to St. Ingbert for a five-day visit to the St. Ingbert Mitte Scout Association.

It was only at the end of September last year that the chairmen of the DPSG St. Ingbert Mitte, Stefan Gress and Christian Klein, signed a memorandum of understanding to promote youth exchanges during an official delegation visit by the Saarpfalz district to Łańcut in Poland. Thanks to the mediation of District Administrator Frank John and his Polish counterpart Adam Krzysztoń (Łańcut District) and financial support from the Union Foundation in Saarbrücken, the German-Polish Youth Office and the non-profit Sanddorf Foundation in Regensburg, this agreement has now been put into practice in record time.

Together with their German Scout colleagues, the young people explored the European border region in glorious sunshine. The programme included visits to the Völklinger Hütte UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Carreau Wendel in neighbouring France, and the Gräfinthal and Blieskastel monasteries. In addition to an official reception at St. Ingbert Town Hall, a guided tour of the Becker Tower and a themed afternoon at the Rohrbach Mill, the programme also included social highlights such as a visit to the outdoor swimming pool and the obligatory ‘sausage stop at Schleppi’.

Throughout the planning and implementation of the project, Dr Violetta Frys provided the Scout associations with active support. As a native of Poland, she also provided linguistic support for the meeting – during which she made a very important observation:

“It is fascinating to see how the language barrier between young people has been breaking down almost by the minute. For today’s younger generation, English serves as a completely natural bridge, enabling them to strike up a conversation straight away. But the best thing is the mutual respect they show for each other’s languages: Many young Poles are learning German with great enthusiasm, and conversely, we are seeing that more and more Germans want to learn Polish. Important structures have already been put in place to meet this need. When language is no longer a barrier but a tool for curiosity, that is Europe at its best.”

As they said their goodbyes, one thing was clear: this meeting was just the beginning. A return visit by the St. Ingbert DPSG Scouts to the Łańcut district has already been arranged for next summer, at the invitation of Wojciech Trawka and Kacper Sawicki, the two leaders of the Polish Scouts. The contacts made are to be further developed in the long term and will also lead to personal meetings outside of organised programmes in the future.

For District Administrator Frank John, this project is the perfect illustration of what the 35th anniversary of the Neighbourhood Agreement is all about:

“A written agreement is the foundation, but it is people – and young people in particular – who breathe life into German-Polish friendship. When young people discover common ground across borders and form friendships, that is the European future in the truest sense.”

Information on the district’s partnerships and the Saarpfalz District’s work on European affairs is available from the Head of the European Affairs Unit, Dr Violetta Frys, on tel. (06841) 104-8273 or via the email addresses [email protected] and [email protected].