The article deals with the oeuvre of Karl Dedecius, including his translation work as well as his literary criticism and editing. In the history of Polish-German cultural transfer, Dedecius was one of the most prominent actors and organizers. After WWII he has become a forerunner of German-Polish reconciliation. He was the head of the Deutsches Polen-Institut in Darmstadt, which largely prepared the public opinion in West Germany for a normalization of the political relations with Poland after the 1989–90 breakthrough. Today, he is considered the greatest ambassador of Polish literature in the German-speaking countries in the 20th century. The article has been written to mark the centenary of his birth.