Magdeburg - Neighbouring city on the River Elbe

Magdeburg, the neighbouring city on the River Elbe, was first documented in 805, during the reign of the Emperor Charlemagne.

The Thirty-Years War ruined the city and almost completely depopulated it. Not until the end of the 18th century did Magdeburg start to recover, but then developed continuously until its present condition as a centre of industry with a population of some 260,000. Formerly, in the days of the German Democratic Republic, a regional capital, Magdeburg is now the capital of the Federal State of Saxe-Anhalt.

Bild von Magdeburg Well worth visiting are not only the cathedral and the neighbouring late 19th-century houses, the Cultural Historical Museum and the promenades along the banks of the River Elbe, but also the well-preserved and restored Baroque façades along the Breite Weg, once Germany's finest Baroque street. By its successful organization of the Federal Garden Show in 1999 Magdeburg drew attention to itself as a lively city and gained many friends.

Brunswick was among the first cities in the old Federal Republic to apply intensively for and succeed in obtaining a twin city in the German Democratic Republic. The twinning agreement with Magdeburg was concluded at a festive ceremony held on 8 December 1987. It was preceded by difficult negotiations and a complcated correspondence via federal and state ministries with the government of the German Democratic Republic

Initially, in 1988 and 1989, "workers' delegations" and "women's delegations" visited Brunswick. Concurrent with these were exchanges between cultural-, youth- and sports groups. These were based on officially negotiated annual programmes for the two cities, which became redundant after the opening of the German-German border. In the years that followed, Brunswick city officials helped build up an independent communal administration in Magdeburg.

On 8 December 1992 a new agreement on twinning co-operation, under a democratic aspect, was signed. Exchange of experience at the level of communal politics continued. This included visits between council bodies.

In 1996 a mixed delegation from Brunswick's twin towns Bath and Bandung visited Magdeburg. One year later, on the occasion of the 10th twinning anniversary, Brunswick took part in Magdeburg's City Hall Festival. In Brunswick the anniversary was celebrated with a ceremony in the Altstadtrathaus. In the meantime relations between the two cities have normalized. One example of this is the combined package offers for tourists.

Activities

Before the border was opened in 1989: government delegation visits
Now: intensive exchange activity between youth-, cultural- and sports groups

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