Mayor Barbara Ludwig travels to the American twin city of Akron
From Sunday, 7 May 2017, the Lord Mayor and a delegation consisting of representatives from Chemnitz University of Technology, the Chemnitz Technology Centre and Chemnitzer Wirtschaftsförderungs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH will be visiting the American twin city of Akron until 11 May. The occasion is the 20th anniversary of the partnership between the cities of Chemnitz and Akron.
The highlight of the trip will be the ceremony to celebrate "20 years of twinning" on Wednesday, 10 May 2017. The updated twinning document between the two cities will be signed by the Mayor of Chemnitz and the Mayor of Akron, Daniel Horrigan. Mayor Barbara Ludwig: "For 20 years, the city partnership with Akron has been one of the liveliest we have. We are in close contact, especially in the fields of science and technology. That is why I am particularly pleased that we are once again sealing the city partnership in Akron with the participation of Chemnitz University of Technology, TCC and CWE."
Due to the many similarities between the two cities, the Lord Mayor will visit various infrastructural, structural engineering and commercial projects to revitalise the city. The topics of city centre revitalisation, housing construction, training young people and the integration of refugees will also be discussed in expert talks. The programme for the delegation from Chemnitz also includes a tour of the Summit County region to get to know the surrounding areas and exchange experiences on local political integration.
Background to the town twinning
The partnership with Akron was concluded on 20 April 1997 during the first official visit of the Mayor of Akron to Chemnitz with the signing of the partnership agreement. Since then, there have been many activities between the two twin cities. The updated twinning agreement pays particular attention to bringing young people from both cities together. Various delegations in the fields of science, education, culture, health, sport and tourism are to exchange ideas on a regular basis. Both partners support cooperation between companies, institutions and associations as far as possible. The technology centres, chambers of industry and commerce and business development agencies have a special role to play here.