Unsere Besten ("Our Best") was a television series shown in German public television (ZDF) in November 2003, similar to the BBC series 100 Greatest Britons.
The intention initially was to find out "Who are the greatest Germans?" (Wer sind die größten Deutschen?), with more rankings to follow later. The German public was allowed to vote (via postcard, SMS or Internet) for the most important Germans—historical or contemporary—from a list of more than 300 people, plus additional suggestions.
This list was created for two reasons:
However, the blank">inclusion of _Nikolaus Kopernikus in the blank">list of scientists caused controversy in Poland where he is revered as a national hero - the Polish Senate declared him an "exceptional Pole" on 12 June 2003. Similarly the inclusion of _Mozart and Freud was criticized in Austria.
For the final Top Ten, an additional round was held, where each candidate was supported by an "ambassador" (most of them journalists) that would explain the work and importance of his/her favourite.
The final list appeared as shown below (in descending order). Several rather unknown figures ranked relatively high, no doubt because of temporary popularity and organized votes from fan groups (15.), or in case of 125., just an entry by organized Internet forum members to honour one of their members.
