Culture Minister Herman addresses meeting of Sudeten German Landsmannschaft

Czech Culture Minister Daniel Herman on Sunday addressed a gathering of the Sudeten German Landsmannschaft in German, greeting participants as “dear compatriots” for which he received a hearty round of applause. The minister said that the identity of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia had long been formed by Czechs, Germans, Jews, Romanies and Poles; a fruitful co-habitation broken up by the tragic events of the twentieth century. The minister expressed regret over all acts –both on the Sudeten German and Czech side – which undermined trust and mutual understanding.

This is the first time that the Czech government has sent an official representative to a meeting of the Landsmannschaft association. Relations between the Czech government and the Sudeten German Landsmannschaft improved after the association confirmed that it would no longer strive for financial compensation or the return of property confiscated from the 2.5 million Sudeten Germans driven from post-war Czechoslovakia under the Beneš decrees.