Warsaw  - A rural district in southern Poland on Friday became the first in the country to display German signs, in what some said was an attempt to reconcile the area's troubled history.

The first of 67 signs was unveiled in the small district of Radlow, which boasts some 28 per cent Germans, the daily Wyborcza reported.

"You can see similar bilingual signs in many places in Europe," said Christoph Berger, a German government attorney dealing with minority issues.

"But this place where we meet today is unique, marked by its difficult history."

Officials at the ceremony said the signs would celebrate the region's multicultural past.

The area belonged to Germany until 1945, but after World War II many Germans were forced out or left as Poland came under Soviet control. (dpa)