Federal President Wulff on a visit to the Czech Republic

Before the official talks, however, Federal President Christian Wulff was welcomed. At Prague Castle, the German head of state received the customary ceremonial military honors. Alongside the euro, whose imminent introduction in the Czech Republic Christian Wulff explicitly said he hoped to see, one of the key topics of the Federal President’s visit was the history shared by Germany and the Czech Republic. In the spring, a local documentary titled “Killing Czechs” caused a great deal of controversy in the Czech Republic. It examined the expulsion of Sudeten Germans from what was then Czechoslovakia. Vaclav Klaus has so far steadfastly refused to confront this dark chapter of Czech history, a stance that has not won him universal support at home.

Christian Wulff assured his counterpart that the postwar crimes committed in what was then Czechoslovakia “cannot be equated with the Nazi regime in the Third Reich,” but also urged Vaclav Klaus to face up to his historical responsibility and follow Germany’s example. To this day, the Sudeten Germans expelled and stripped of their rights in Czechoslovakia, or their descendants, are still waiting for redress—if that is even possible. Both Christian Wulff and Czech President Vaclav Klaus expressed satisfaction with how the talks went, meaning that the Federal President’s visit to the Czech Republic in Prague can certainly be considered a political success.