Der Oder-Neiße-Komplex – eine symbolische Grenze in den Deutsch-Polnischen Beziehungen

The Polish-German border is perceived as a symbolic border in the post-war Polish-Germanrelations. In this paper, a lot of attention is devoted to this border in the crucial moments of the Polish-German-relations, such as the tense situation in Poland and former East Germany, political changes in 1989 and Poland joining the EU and Schengen Zone. My discussion concerning the symbolism of the Polish-German border is not limited only to the analysis of historical facts and events, but it also centers on the mentality of Germans and Poles, their mutual perception, sympathy and aversion. It turns out that the abolishing of the state borders seems to be much easier than the reduction of the mental barriers/borders existing between Poles and Germans.