Czech culture minister at Sudeten-German Landsmannschaft: It is time for reconciliation

The annual meeting of the Sudeten-German Landsmannschaft in Nuremberg over the weekend is perceived as a turning point in the reconciliation between Czechs and Sudeten Germans. For the first time ever the Czech government sent an official representative to the gathering –Culture Minister Daniel Herman - who addressed the assembly as “dear compatriots”, expressing regret over the injustices that had broken up long years of fruitful coexistence.

Daniel Herman, photo: CTK

Czech Culture Minister Daniel Herman addressed the 3,000 strong gathering in German and his opening words were drowned in a hearty round of applause. The minister said that the identity of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia had long been formed by Czechs, Germans, Jews, Romanies and Poles; a fruitful co-habitation broken up by the tragic events of the twentieth century. He spoke about the crimes of the Nazi regime as well as the violent acts of revenge committed during the post-war transfer of ethnic Germans from Czechoslovakia, expressing regret over all acts which undermined trust and mutual understanding. Minister Herman said the process of achieving reconciliation had taken too long and it was high time to change this.

“If we look at the French-German dialogue and reconciliation we can see a forty year delay in our own reconciliation with Germany, a delay that was clearly caused by the communist regime.”

Although the two countries signed an “Agreement on Good Neighbourly Relations and Cooperation" back in 1992, the process of mending rifts was to take much longer. It was only last year that the Sudeten German Landsmannschaft dropped from its statutes the intention to strive for financial compensation or the return of property confiscated from the 2.5 million Sudeten Germans driven from post-war Czechoslovakia under the Beneš decrees. This led to a warming in relations and, according to Minister Herman, was instrumental in ensuring his presence at the gathering. The prime minister of Bavaria, Horst Seehofer, asked the Czech government to send a representative to the 67the meeting of the Landsmannschaft and the idea was supported by all three parties in the Czech government as well as the main opposition parties, with the exception of the Communists. Prime Minister Seehofer on Sunday welcomed the positive shift in relations.

Daniel Herman, Horst Seehofer, Bernd Posselt, photo: CTK

“In the peaceful coexistence of people there is no alternative to dialogue and that is the road we have chosen.”

The head of the Sudeten-German Landsmannschaft Bernd Posselt said the presence of a Czech cabinet minister at the gathering was “historic” and something that the association had striven for since the fall of communism.

“At first we experienced euphoria that relations would quickly normalize, but then, due to mistakes on both sides, there was a long period of drought. And now in the last few years we have finally made immense progress.”

The operative words at the meeting were those of dialogue and reconciliation and delegates paid homage to the memory of Bohemian King and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, whose 700th birth anniversary the two nations are celebrating together in a powerful reminder of their common roots.