100 Jahre Konferenz von Locarno/100 years since the Locarno Conference

ORGANIZER: Friedrich-Ebert-Gedenkstätte in cooperation with the City of Locarno

Locarno. Cantonal Library and Palazzo Marcacci.

Wednesday morning, October 8 through Friday, October 10, 2025.

Free admission.

Suitable for adults with knowledge of German.

• Friedrich Ebert Foundation website

October 2025 will mark the centenary of the Locarno Conference, an event of extraordinary historical, political and media importance. The Friedrich-Ebert-Gedenkstätte in Heidelberg, a central place in the history of German democracy, is taking the occasion of this anniversary to commemorate, as part of the official program of celebrations and with the support of the city of Locarno, the negotiations that took place from October 5 to 16, 1925.

Under the title Locarno 1925 - Triumph of Diplomacy or Illusion of Peace? we will analyze the causes, circumstances and results of that conference, a symbol of the détente of the mid-1920s. The conference is divided into seven sections devoted to different facets of the theme.

The language of the conference is basically German, but questions can also be asked in Italian. Those interested are welcome to attend. Please send a brief communication to friedrich@ebert-gedenkstaette.de

Wednesday, October 8

• 15:00: Registration

• 15:30: Conference opening with greetings and introduction

• 16:00 - 18:00: Section 1: Forerunners of Locarno - The challenges of pacification after 1918

• 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.: Evening public lecture by Prof. Dr. Cornelißen, Frankfurt am Main (more details here: other page) followed by discussion and aperitif, venue: Cantonal Library, Via Cappuccini 1

Thursday, October 9

• 09:00 - 10:30: Section 2: Between self-determination and war violence

• 10:30 - 11:00: Coffee break

• 11:00 - 13:00: Section 3: National Interests

• 13:00 - 14:30: Lunch break (free lunch)

• 14:30 - 16:30: Section 4: Diplomacy and international law

• 16:30 - 17:00: Coffee break

• 17:00 - 18:30: Section 5: Regional and global perspectives

Friday, October 10

• 09:00 - 10:30: Section 6: Media and Public Opinion. Between euphoria and protest

• 10:30 - 11:00: Coffee break

• 11:00 - 13:00: Section 7: Interpretations of Locarno in the culture of memory

• 13:00 - 14:15: Common snack

• 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.: Public panel discussion: What remains of Locarno? (Link to the panel discussion)

• 16:30: Guided tour of the city to the sites of the 1925 conference

The conference is a collaboration between the Reichspräsident-Friedrich-Ebert-Gedenkstätte Foundation in Heidelberg and the city of Locarno (especially Dr. Rodolfo Huber), with support from the Gustav-Stresemann-Institut in Bonn and the Places of German Democratic History Foundation.

Press contact:

• Fabio Fidone: fabio.fidone@ebert-gedenkstaette.de

Questions about content:

• Dr. Joana Duyster Borreda: joana.duyster-borreda@ebert-gedenkstaette.de

• Dr. Claudio Steiger: claudio.steiger@ebert-gedenkstaette.de

General information:

Stiftung Reichspräsident-Friedrich-Ebert-Gedenkstätte

Untere Straße 27, D-69117 Heidelberg

Tel: +49 (0) 6221-9107-0

E-Mail: friedrich@ebert-gedenkstaette.de

Web: www.ebert-gedenkstaette.de