The article presents the findings of a survey conducted on a representative sample of the Gdańsk population. The purpose of the research was to diagnose the attitude towards the Germans and identify the stereotype of a German rooted in the respondents’ minds. Gdańsk is a geographically highly interesting area of research for sociologists pondering the sphere of national stereotypes. What makes it specific is its location ‘at the frontier’, where the German and Polish elements met for ages. The conducted research reveals that the residents of Gdańsk are in the midst of a gradual but evident process of overcoming prejudice against the Germans. The changes are driven by generation succession and expanded mutual contacts. The young were observed to be more positive in their attitudes to the Germans. The image evoked in them was increasingly less connected with the spectre of the painful history and ever more frequently with a modern and well-organised society. The German stereotype is the function of several factors. The research proves that the positive image of a German correlates with the respondents’ age and their sense of well-being in life.