Wrocław mayor given prize for promoting good relations with Germany
PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk
15.06.2017 10:37
The mayor of the south-western Polish city of Wrocław, Rafał Dutkiewicz, has been awarded the German National Prize by the German National Foundation.
Rafał Dutkiewicz. Photo: PAP/Maciej Kulczyński
He has been honoured for his contribution to shaping the European character of Wrocław and in promoting good relations between Poland and Germany.
At a ceremony in Berlin, former German senator Dirk Reimers hailed Dutkiewicz’s efforts to build bridges between the two countries.
He said that the German National Prize is a token of gratitude to all Poles who are contributing to the harmonious co-existence of Poles and Germans in a united Europe.
The ceremony was attended by former German presidents Joachim Gauck and Horst Koehler, members of the Bundestag and representatives of the Wrocław regional authorities.
In an address, Dutkiewicz said that in the past the exchange of goods was of primary importance. “Today, an exchange of ideas... is of key significance,” he said.
He recalled the words of Cardinal Bolesław Kominek, former archbishop of Wrocław, the initiator of a historic 1965 letter by Polish bishops to German bishops: “Europe is the future – nationalisms belong to the past”.
The German National Prize was launched in 1997. Its past recipients include former Polish Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki and Archbishop Alfons Nossol.
Dutkiewicz has served as Mayor of Wrocław since 2002. (mk/pk)