On 17 June, as part of the German-Polish Forum in Berlin, Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski presented the prestigious German-Polish Prize to 700 invited guests. The prize is awarded by the governments of both countries on the basis of the Neighbourhood Treaty of 17 June 1991 for outstanding contributions to the development of German-Polish relations.
Alongside former Ambassador Janusz Reiter, the Frankfurt-Słubice Cooperation Centre of the City of Frankfurt (Oder) was honoured for its outstanding contribution to bilateral cooperation.
The Mayor of Frankfurt, Claus Junghanns, and the Deputy Mayor of Słubice, Adam Szulczewski, accepted the award on behalf of the twin cities in person in Berlin.
Knut Abraham, Member of the German Bundestag, co-chair of the jury and coordinator for German-Polish civil society and cross-border cooperation, explained: “In honouring Janusz Reiter, we are recognising one of the key architects of the German-Polish Neighbourhood Treaty. With the Frankfurt-Słubice Cooperation Centre, we are paying tribute to a particularly committed and innovative institution of German-Polish cooperation in the border region.”
In his statement, Knut Abraham highlighted in particular the successful ‘Grenzerfahrungen’ (Border Experiences) project. This was launched for the first time last November as the ‘Month of Political Education’. For four weeks, the twin towns were transformed into a place of learning and dialogue. More than 40 events – most of them free of charge – took place at 17 different venues, ranging from lectures and discussions to concerts and city walks, bringing together more than 1,000 people on both sides of the Oder to debate democracy, history and current social issues.
The ‘Border Experiences’ programme was devised by the Working Group for Political and Historical Education under the leadership of the Cooperation Centre. The initiative is supported by a broad network of local stakeholders, including the European University Viadrina, the Collegium Polonicum, the municipal libraries of both cities, the Stasi Records Archive, the Kleist Forum, the Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt, as well as numerous other associations, initiatives and church parishes in the twin city.
Mayor Claus Junghanns: “The award is a great honour for our twin city, as it recognises the commitment of the many people we were able to represent today.”
Frankfurt (Oder) drew inspiration for the ‘Border Experiences’ project from the city of Cottbus, where a ‘Week of Political Education’ has been taking place since 2023. In the twin city, this has also become a permanent fixture: the second edition took place as early as May 2026, in conjunction with a European Week, and the follow-up events for 2027 and 2028 are already being planned.
The ‘Borderline Experiences’ Month of Political Education is being organised as part of the ‘Building Educational Bridges’ project (2023–2026) by the City of Frankfurt (Oder) and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, as well as by the European Union through the European Social Fund (ESF Plus) as part of the “Bildungskommunen” programme.