EN
The article presents the concept of political education in Germany, specifically taking into consideration the role of the state in building democracy and open society. The context for consideration is the institutionalized model of school and non-school political education in Germany, which constitutes a part of the civic education system conducted by the state on the federal level and in the federal states. The state, through its institutions, is particularly responsible for the implementation of civic education. This paper also outlines the terminological problems in civic education from the Polish and German language perspective and the institutional and legal determinants used in political education. It should be noted, that the above-mentioned research problem is interdisciplinary, because it combines political, social and cultural elements and is characterized by the broad spectrum of interpretation and is multi-faceted, and the conclusions that can be drawn from its analysis (a substantial role of the state and financial support, an apolitical system of civic education, a high degree of institutionalization, presence and activity of the so-called “leading institutions”, a clear division of competences between the institutions responsible for political education, presence of political education in public debate, etc.) can prove to be useful in social studies or in the implementation of innovative system solutions in civic education.