"German-Polish understanding put to the test" – panel discussion at the 23rd Viadrina Prize

On the occasion of the awarding of the 23rd Viadrina Prize on Thursday, May 16, starting at 4 p.m., the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) invites you to a panel discussion on the topic "Twenty years after eastward enlargement - German-Polish understanding put to the test".

The award ceremony for the German political scientist and former director of the German Historical Institute in Warsaw, Prof. Dr. Klaus Ziemer, and the subsequent panel discussion will take place in the Logensaal of the Viadrina, Logenstraße 11. Interested parties are cordially invited to attend the event after registering.

For more information and to register, please visit www.europa-uni.de/viadrinapreis

Talking about German-Polish relations on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Poland's accession to the EU:

• Prof. Dr. Klaus Ziemer – Viadrina Prize winner, emeritus professor at the University of Trier and the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University of Warsaw
• Prof. Dr. Elżbieta Opiłowska – Head of the Centre for Regional and Borderland Research at the University of Wrocław and
• Prof. Dr. Stefan Garsztecki – Professor of Political Science at the Chemnitz University of Technology

Moderated by: Prof. Dr. Timm Beichelt, Professor of European Studies at the European University Viadrina.

The event will be interpreted into German and Polish. Following the talk, there will be a reception for all participants in the foyer of the Logensaal.

About the award winner

Prof. Dr. Klaus Ziemer was born in Heidelberg in 1946. From 1991 until his retirement in 2011, Klaus Ziemer taught as Professor of Political Science at the University of Trier. From 1998, he was also Professor of Political Science at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, where he retired in 2018. From 1998 to 2008, he headed the German Historical Institute in Warsaw. In addition to his teaching activities, Klaus Ziemer was involved in numerous committees, including the Scientific Advisory Board of the German Poland Institute, the Advisory Board of the German-Polish Science Foundation and the German-Polish Copernicus Group. In Heidelberg, he heads the "Initiative Partnership with Poland".
 

Prof. Dr. Eduard Mühle, President of Viadrina and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Viadrina Prize Foundation, explains the decision for this year's prize winner: "Klaus Ziemer explains Poland in Germany and Germany in Poland, analyzes, comments and reports critically, factually and with great respect for all differences. He serves as a role model for how to communicate German-Polish and how to remain scientifically objective while clearly representing one's own values."

About the Viadrina Prize

The Viadrina Prize stands for international understanding, peace and freedom in a common European home and thus for the values that form the foundation of the Viadrina, which was founded in 1991 as the European University. With the Viadrina Prize, the University has been honoring outstanding personalities and important initiatives from all areas of social life for their commitment to understanding, reconciliation and cooperation between Germany and Poland since 1999. Previous prizewinners include Günter Grass, Adam Krzemiński, Prof. Dr. Rita Süssmuth, Volker Schlöndorff, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Agnieszka Holland and Prof. Dr. habil. Krzysztof Ruchniewicz.

The prize is awarded annually and is endowed with 5,000 euros. Since 2022, the Viadrina Prize Foundation's Board of Trustees has decided on the award. In addition, a sponsorship prize of 1,000 euros is awarded annually. This year, the prize goes to the student initiative Students for Climate Justice.