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Salzgitter

Ceremony at Salder Castle: 75 Years of the Salzgitter–Katowice Sister City Partnership

For 75 years, the city of Salzgitter has maintained a sister-city relationship with the former German residents of the city of Katowice, which is now part of Poland. The city of Salzgitter will honor this special anniversary on Friday, October 2, at 4:00 p.m. with a ceremony in the Fürstensaal of the Städtisches Museum Schloss Salder.

Salzgitter’s mayor, Dr. Wilhelm Höck (mayor from 1948 to 1953, standing to the right of the sign), at the 1951 “Day of the German East” in Salzgitter. Photo: City of Salzgitter

All residents of Salzgitter are invited to attend the ceremony and the reception that follows. Due to limited seating in the Fürstensaal, please register in advance by phone at 05341 / 839-4619 or -4622, or by email at museumstadt.salzgitterde.

The event is being held in cooperation with the City of Salzgitter and Gunter Kostorz, chairman of the Salzgitter–Katowice Sister City Association.

The History of the Sponsorship

The sister-city relationship has its roots in the postwar period. Residents of the Upper Silesian city of Katowice, who were forced to leave their homeland as a result of World War II and found a new home in Salzgitter, asked the city council to establish a sister-city relationship with Katowice.

This partnership was established in 1951. Seventy-five years later, the ceremony commemorates its origins and the importance of home, remembrance, and understanding.

Program for the Ceremony

Following the opening remarks by Mayor Frank Klingebiel, additional remarks are scheduled, including those by Stephan Rauhut, Federal Chairman of the Silesia Association—Lower and Upper Silesia—and by Heiko Schmelzle, State Chairman of the Federation of Expellees, Lower Saxony State Chapter.

Gunter Kostorz, chairman of the Salzgitter–Katowice Sister City Association, will share his reflections on the 75-year partnership.
The keynote address by Dipl.-Ing. Christoph Lücke, historic preservation officer for the city of Salzgitter, will focus on the topic “Salzgitter: A New Home—The Architectural Heritage of the Silesians.”

The event, accompanied by music, will be moderated by Arne Homann, director of the Salder Castle Municipal Museum.

Following the official portion of the program, guests are invited to a reception in the foyer.

Explanations and notes

Picture credits

  • City of Salzgitter
  • City of Salzgitter / A. Kugellis