EN
Activity in the area of international relations has become after 1989 one of the major elements of changing the Polish state's image abroad. Animators of the civil movement in Poland's local governments in counties and communes became important actors in establishing an understanding with Germans. They could refer to the Catholic traditions of the lay elites of the past decades and shared an interest in their neighbours accompanied by a need to create a common platform with them. Far away from politics, they sought to solve the current problems both in the dimension of professional milieus and in the domain of local communities. Examples of various types of initiatives towards mutual understanding between Poles and Germans can be found in the materials published in this volume, sent in at the request of the editor.