The French head of state Emmanuel Macron has received his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier last night for a concert in Strasbourg Cathedral. The meeting marked the beginning of a series of commemoration events in France at the end of the First World War 100 years ago.
The program for the Concert for Peace in Europe included works by Ludwig van Beethoven and Claude Debussy, according to the Elysépalast. Paris also used the event as an opportunity to commemorate the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France 100 years ago. After the armistice of November 11, 1918 German troops had evacuated occupied areas – and Alsace-Lorraine, which belonged to the German Reich since 1871.
After the stage in Strasbourg, Macron will embark on a multi-day tour of eleven departments to visit some of the most important world wars, including Verdun and Reims. The 40-year-old, who has slipped in polls, also wants to get in touch with the French again, wrote the daily newspaper „Le Monde“.
