The design of the face of the 2-euro commemorative coin was created by master engraver and medallist Bodo Broschat from Berlin. The chosen motif depicts the moment of the prostration. Brandt is depicted in the centre of the coin's surface, together with the memorial on the right and the seven-branched candelabrum, the menorah, as part of the memorial on the left. For Broschat, the commemorative coin sets an example, as the motif is intended to encourage people to reflect on the topic. The motif also symbolises the topic and its historical relevance.
Relations between Germany and Poland were strained for a long time after the end of the war. As part of the new Ostpolitik and the concept of change through rapprochement, Brandt travelled to Poland to sign the Warsaw Treaty between Poland and the FRG on 7 December 1970. Reconciliation with Poland was an important part of the Ostpolitik. The Warsaw Treaty recognised the Oder-Neisse border for the first time.
Earlier that day, he visited the memorial to the dead of the Warsaw ghetto. He commemorated the 1943 uprising in which Jews trapped in the ghetto resisted deportation to extermination camps during the German occupation of Poland. Brandt knelt down after laying the wreath and remained in this position for around half a minute. The gesture is regarded as a significant gesture of humility with regard to the Nazi crimes. In doing so, Brandt signalled Germany's willingness to reconcile and, in particular, to ask for forgiveness.
