1 result for tag: Council of European Municipalities and Regions


The Millennia-Long History of German Sister Cities

The earliest known city partnership in Europe was established in 836 between Paderborn, Germany and Le Mans, France. This partnership initially took the form of an “eternal brotherhood” between the dioceses of the two Catholic bishops. An official city partnership agreement was finally signed in 1967. Other pioneering German partnerships included Kiel, Germany and Sonderburg, Denmark in 1925 and Wiesbaden, Germany and Klagenfurt, Austria in 1930. However, the modern concept of “sister cities” as we know them was not launched until after WWII. To foster citizen diplomacy and sow the seeds of peaceful post-war coexistence, formal sister ...