100 years of the Locarno Treaties

After the First World War, relations between Germany and its neighbouring states were severely strained. In an effort to stabilise the political climate in Europe, a series of international agreements, collectively known as the Locarno Pact, were negotiated in Locarno between 5 and 16 October 1925. The talks involved Germany, France, Belgium, Great Britain, Italy, Poland and what was then Czechoslovakia. Locarno was deliberately chosen as a neutral and symbolically unburdened venue, an ideal setting for dialogue between former wartime enemies.

The so-called Locarno Treaties marked the beginning of the “spirit of Locarno,” a period of détente and cooperation. Germany, France, Belgium, Great Britain, and Italy pledged to uphold the existing western borders, particularly between Germany, France, and Belgium. By doing so, Germany formally accepted the loss of Alsace-Lorraine. However, no such guarantee was extended to the eastern borders, which caused concern in Poland and Czechoslovakia. This imbalance led to a sense of greater security in the West, while uncertainty lingered in the East, ultimately sowing the seeds of future tensions.

The 1925 peace conference is regarded as a high point of international reconciliation during the interwar period - even if the resulting peace, regrettably, did not last. To this day, Locarno remains internationally recognised as the “City of Peace” and the centenary commemoration serves as a reminder of its enduring legancy.

The Grand Hotel Locarno was the setting for one of the most significant chapters in European diplomacy in October 1925: the Locarno Treaties. Although the actual agreements were signed later, on 1 December in London, the crucial negotiations took place at the Grand Hotel. It was here that the delegations stayed and held both official discussions and informal meetings that paved the way for consensus. The hotel thus became a symbol of a period of reconciliation and hope in Europe following the First World War. As the main venue of the conference, it became closely associated with the term “Locarno Treaties” and remains to this day a historic site of international peace efforts. After years of vacancy and an extensive renovation, the Grand Hotel Locarno will reopen its doors in 2026 - just in time to revive its place in European cultural memory and serve as a living monument to dialogue.