Erlangen has maintained relationships with 17 municipalities worldwide for many years, promoting intercultural exchange and encounters between citizens of all ages. The overarching goal of international cooperation at municipal level is to actively promote peace and international understanding, to take joint responsibility for the complex challenges in the world and to support each other in solving them. Today's understanding of town twinning developed primarily in the years following the Second World War, when municipal partnerships offered an opportunity for people in different European countries to come closer together and reconcile. It is against this background that Erlangen's first town twinning agreements with Eskilstuna (1961) and Rennes (1964) were established. The latter is already celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. "The Franco-German municipal partnerships are a particularly impressive example of how mutual understanding grows, people become closer and friendships develop even after wars and many years of hostility," emphasizes Tobias Ott, International Relations Officer and responsible for the French twin city, among other things.
(Excerpt from an article in the city newspaper "Rathausplatz 1" - August 2024 issue. You can find the full article there).
To mark the 60th anniversary of the town twinning between Rennes (France) and Erlangen, a small delegation led by the Lord Mayor of the twin city, Nathalie Appéré (photo left next to Lord Mayor Florian Janik), visited the Huguenot city at the beginning of February 2024 (Photo: City of Erlangen).