On 3 September 2012 Federal President Joachim Gauck visited the Free State of Saxony with some 180 heads of mission of the Diplomatic Corps and of international organizations with a presence in Germany. This was the Federal President’s first official meeting with the full Diplomatic Corps.

The stops on this informational and contact-building visit included Dresden, where participants visited an aircraft works, the Albertinum and the Frauenkirche. At the Albertinum the Federal President delivered a speech at a luncheon with diplomats from around the world. On the programme for the afternoon were a boat trip along the Elbe River to Meissen and a visit to the Saxony state-owned vineyard Schloss Wackerbarth.

This annual excursion is intended to intensify exchange with the international guests, enrich their image of Germany and build bridges to the German business, academic, cultural and political spheres. The journey led to Rhineland-Palatinate in 2011, to the Free State of Thuringia in 2010, North Rhine-Westphalia in 2009 and Bavaria in 2008.