ABSTRACT
Malbork has seen many encounters between the Poles and Germans. According to popular belief, they always met as rivals or enemies. Reconciliation is conceivable even to someone who once stood utterly degraded in Auschwitz's assembly square. And those with the moral authority to forgive or let others forgive on their behalf not only allow us to open our arms, but openly urge us to do so. Guided by casually met travelers, who would leave their cart and horse at the foreigners' disposal, the Germans experienced many strange adventures along the way. They encountered lepers and the Black Death. The 15th century offered a space for a symmetrical meeting without the feelings of inferiority or superiority that have infected the 20th century. The Polish group endured an even worse kind of humiliation through some incidents during their trip to Germany in 1989.
