According to official estimates, German losses in Poland during the First World War amounted to approximately 400,000 dead. Information about the locations of their graves is only partially available. During the Second World War, approximately 478,000 German soldiers died in Poland. For about 300,000 of the dead, the Volksbund has names and death reports from the former Wehrmacht Information Office in Berlin. The number of registered deaths and grave locations amounts to approximately 19,000.
The work of the Volksbund in Poland is based on point 60 of the “Joint Declaration” of November 14, 1989 (establishment of the German-Polish Commission) and Article 32 of the 1991 Treaty on “Good Neighbourly Relations and Friendly Cooperation”.
The commission, consisting of members of the Polish Red Cross, the Polish “Council for the Protection of Remembrance of Struggle and Martyrdom” (Polish counterpart of the Volksbund) and the Volksbund, was established in 1990. It is used to coordinate projects and cooperation. In 1994, the German-Polish “Remembrance” foundation was established to support the Volksbund's reburial, construction and maintenance work in Poland.
After negotiations in 2003, the war graves agreement was signed on December 8, 2003. It came into force on January 19, 2005.
As in the other former Eastern Bloc countries, central collective cemeteries for the fallen of the Second World War are also being built in Poland – a total of ten sites. In addition, some large existing cemetery sites will be preserved. This concept is intended to ensure cost-effective maintenance.
The approximately 550 cemeteries of the First World War cannot be listed here in detail. They are listed buildings and are maintained and cared for by the responsible Polish authorities.
The Volksbund helps with both grants and expert advice, as well as with the deployment of Bundeswehr and youth camps.