Rockville Officials Depart For Visit To Germany

From The City of Rockville: A delegation of Rockville officials and members of the Rockville Sister City Corporation leave Tuesday on an official visit to Pinneberg, Germany, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the municipalities' relationship.

"Especially in this day and time, it is vital that we work together and celebrate the commonalities we share as people," Rockville Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton said.

Pinneberg is a city of more than 42,000 people, located about 11 miles northwest of Hamburg. The sister city relationship was formed in 1957, originating from President Dwight D. Eisenhower's People-to-People program, administered through the State Department. Rockville's Mayor and Council formally recognized the Pinneberg-Rockville relationship with an Oct. 13, 1957 resolution.

Over the six-decade relationship, both cities have engaged in exchanges -- governmental, athletic, educational, artistic and cultural. The Rockville-Pinneberg bond is one of the oldest in formal sister city history.

The Rockville delegation, which includes the mayor and members of the City Council, will stay with German host families and tour Pinneberg and the surrounding region. The group returns June 6.

In October, a delegation organized by Pinneberg's sister city association, the Deutsch-Amerikanische Gesellschaft Rockville-Pinneberg, will visit Rockville. On Oct. 7, from noon-6 p.m., Rocktobierfest will celebrate the longstanding German-American relationship and the Pinneberg delegation's visit with music and participating breweries.

For more on the Rockville Sister City Corporation, or to become a member, visit www.rockvillesistercities.org.

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