Konrad Adenauer and Charles de Gaulle in the Cathedral of Reims (July 8, 1962)

At the conclusion of his state visit to France (July 2-8, 1962), Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer (left) joined French President Charles de Gaulle (right) at a Catholic mass in the Cathedral of Reims. The site was symbolic of reconciliation, and its choice was meaningful on a number of levels: the Merovingian King Clovis I was baptized in Reims, and Ludwig I, the son of Charlemagne, was crowned there. For centuries, the coronation of every French king was held in the Cathedral of Reims. During the First World War, it was heavily damaged by focused German artillery fire; it was also the place where the German Wehrmacht capitulated on May 7, 1945. Photographer unknown.

print version     return to image list

previous image      next image

Courtesy of the German Information Center