Jena and Erlangen celebrate the Day of German Unity together

Around 150 citizens celebrated the Day of German Unity in the twin city of Erlangen with a ceremony and a colorful program.

The guests at the ceremony were joined by the Bavarian Minister of the Interior, Joachim Herrmann, as a surprise guest. In a welcoming address, he made a passionate plea for democracy. All those who wish for a return to dictatorial systems must be resolutely opposed, he said.

Opposing contempt for democracy

Keynote speaker Luth Rathenow praised the intensity of the town twinning between Jena and Erlangen. He was surprised by the wide range of day-to-day joint activities between the two cities. He spoke about the importance of partnerships - even across systemic boundaries - with a wealth of anecdotes. Unity must always be interpreted in a fresh way. "Let's counter the contempt for democracy with a new desire to network."

The mayors of both cities, Thomas Nitzsche and Florian Janik, highlighted the many ongoing projects in the 36th year of the town twinning. For example, 10 new EU volunteers from the Eurowerkstatt from 5 countries are accompanying the delegation, continuous exchanges between the administrations are ongoing, the two hospices are preparing a symposium and an exchange of letters between schools has just started.

Emotional farewell to Peter Steger

The commitment of Peter Steger, who has worked for the town twinning on behalf of the Erlangen administration since 1987, was particularly emphasized. As he is retiring next year, this will be the last festival program in which he will be actively involved. The friendship with the Ukrainian town of Brovary is also closely linked to him. The result is an intensive triangular partnership, which should lead to partnership agreements as soon as possible. Many projects have already been implemented for the war-torn population of Brovary.

Diverse program

In addition to the festive program, there were many other events in store for the Jena visitors: a tour of the city, table tennis and volleyball tournaments, a pub quiz, an ecumenical church service and a joint concert by the Groovemaker Big Band from the Erlangen Municipal Singing and Music School and the Blue Beans Big Band from Jena. They also provided the backdrop to the ceremony.

The donation from the joint church service was intended for the twin town of Brovary. A total of €550 was raised.

We sang together as a farewell. This part of the program has ended the friendship visits for several years now.