How the Germans learnt to love France

Diplomats, translators and families from West and East Germany have opened their private photo albums for us and taken old film reels out of the cupboard. They tell of contrasts, adventurous trips and special encounters. It is a very personal view of France that goes beyond the usual clichés and is often surprising.

What do the Germans like about the French? What do they dislike? And how did these former hereditary enemies even manage to reconcile? “How the Germans Learned to Love France” sheds light on the slow rapprochement of the two countries — from a German perspective.

In doing so, it draws on largely unpublished material: from former exchange students and their first visits to France from the 1950s to the 1990s, long-forgotten film reels from city archives, photo albums, and stories of contrasts, adventures, and extraordinary encounters involving diplomats, entrepreneurs, and translators. France is viewed from a fresh perspective, beyond the usual clichés — one that holds a few surprises in store.
“How the Germans Learned to Love France” tells the story of the relationship between France and both West Germany and East Germany. After all, there was far more exchange with the East than is often assumed.

Helga Klinger studied French in Leipzig, even though she knew she might never be able to travel to the country of her dreams. For years, she worked as an interpreter in her hometown of Oschatz, regularly accompanying delegations from France.

For the three Mützelburg brothers, on the other hand, contact with France was always a matter of course. Their grandparents had once fled to Burgundy in the 1930s, only to be forced to return to Germany later. Despite the turmoil of war, the family’s friendship with the French has endured to this day.