Visiting friends

Poland was happy to let itself be conquered by the new German president. That was clear at the latest when he described Poland as "a European country of freedom" which was particularly close to his heart. But Gauck was already well known in Warsaw: his work as head of the German secret police archives has brought him respect and recognition.

President Bronislaw Komorowski described Gauck's decision to choose Poland for his first foreign trip as German president as "an important gesture." It was a symbol for the fact that the bilateral relations between the two countries went "well beyond the normal framework of reconciliation." Gauck too emphasized that "in our meeting, we have come far from the old divisive burdens, and have come closer to the values which unite the two peoples." The two presidents confirmed that they would continue the German-Polish friendship which Gauck's predecessor, Christian Wulff, had also worked to deepen.

Commitment to youth

Both presidents want to put the idea of Europe in the foreground, and promote European integration - not just in the EU, but also outside its borders. They want to work towards more freedom and democracy, especially in Belarus and Ukraine. Gauck made special mention of Poland's commitment to Europe and its support of the European stabilization policy.

At the same time, both presidents made it clear that they couldn't ignore the past. In concrete terms, that meant that Gauck and Komorowski became joint patrons of the German-Polish Youth Union. They also said that they wanted to talk with young people, and would soon be taking part in discussions with young people at the Youth Meeting Center in Krzyzowa and the Viadrina University in Frankfurt (Oder). Komorowski said that much had been achieved in bilateral relations, but that there remained much to do.

The Poles were pleased to hear from Gauck that he saw their country as a good example for Germany. "As long as I have lived, the Germans have always looked to the West," he said. He wished that they would extend their view to the East: "We have much to learn from our Polish neighbors."

Respected for his achievements

What the Poles particularly respect in Gauck is the sensitive way he talks about the two countries - about what divides as well as what unites them. As a former East German dissident, a thinker and a Christian, he has managed to give the Poles the feeling that he really does understand them.

That applies particularly to a topic which is highly controversial in Poland: the way in which the country's communist past is dealt with. Most Poles know Gauck as the man who stood up for freedom and justice, and who then became head of an institution which worked to come to terms with the repression of the East German regime.

What Gauck did in newly united Germany was only possible in Poland ten years later. That was how long it took to set up a similar institution. But the process is still controversial. Society is divided: while one side wants a thorough examination of the communist past and its crimes, the other wants to draw a line under the past and forget what happened back then.

In this context, Gauck is regarded with respect. The Poles see him as someone who, both on a personal level and as the head of an institution, tried to solve the problems according to truly Christian principles: on the one hand he worked to open up the truth, while on the other hand he applied Christian mercy. Many Poles have that in mind as they speak so highly of Joachim Gauck's first foreign trip.

Author: Rosalia Romaniec / mll
Editor: Andreas Illmer