Dear people of Wiesbaden,

The partnership between Naurod and Fondettes has existed for 50 years, since 1975. We want to celebrate this anniversary in May. We are expecting the Fondettes guests to visit Naurod from May 1 to 4. I have gladly assumed the patronage for the celebrations.

On Friday, May 2, the state capital of Wiesbaden will host a reception for the guests in the town hall. On Saturday, May 3, there will be an academic celebration at the Forum in Naurod. Other events are also planned as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, for example the table tennis players from TG Naurod will travel to Fondettes for a tournament in June, the pétanque players from Alerte Sportive de Fondettes will also come to Naurod in June for a boules tournament and in September Naurod adults will travel to Fondettes to celebrate the anniversary.

For five decades, this partnership has been an example of the friendly ties between Germany and France. You can feel this at the numerous events and encounters with people from the French twin town. Fondettes is visible everywhere in Naurod: signs at the entrances to the town and other places in the district, the Fondettes next to the Naurod coat of arms as a mosaic in front of the baroque church in the town center and the main street also bears the name of the twin town. The town twinning between Naurod and Fondettes, which was sealed in 1975, is characterized by frequent mutual friendship visits. It all officially began on July 14, 1974, the French national holiday, when a delegation from the Naurod municipal council traveled to Fondettes. The friendly hand extended by the French was enthusiastically grasped in the then still independent municipality of Naurod. The people of Fondettes were invited to Naurod's biggest event, the apple blossom festival. In the same year, the municipal councils decided on a "Jumelage Fondettes-Naurod". On May 11, 1975, a partnership document was signed by the then mayors Heinz Rieth and Jean Roux. Fondettes and Naurod immediately took up the promise made therein to "bring the citizens of the two communities together in friendship" and continue to demonstrate this every day. The partnership association was founded on September 7, 1976.

The state capital of Wiesbaden has maintained twinning relationships with many cities in Europe, the Middle East and Latin America for many years. Town twinning offers the opportunity to learn more about the people, their culture and customs as well as their everyday life. They make it easier for citizens to establish contacts and enable associations and institutions to work on projects of common interest. Town twinning is a wonderful thing; it helps citizens from different countries and cultures to come together. They promote understanding and the exchange of friendly contacts between cities. They bring municipalities in Europe and around the world closer together and ensure a close connection between their citizens. But it is not the town halls that breathe life into twinning relationships, nor should they. Town twinning is lived by citizens, associations, schools and artists. Many volunteers are involved in town twinning associations in their free time and also financially. As a city, we underline the idea of twinning with our title "European City".

The small French town of Fondettes is located around seven kilometers northwest of the city of Tours in the Centre-Val de Loire region and has around 10,000 inhabitants. Since its incorporation into Wiesbaden, the partnership has formally applied to the Hessian state capital. The history of Fondette dates back to Roman times, when the first settlements were built on the banks of the Loire at the edge of the Touraine moor. Numerous sights, such as an aqueduct or the ruins of Gallo-Roman villas, still bear witness to this long history. The world-famous castles of Amboise, Chambord and Blois are within easy reach.

I would like to thank all those who are involved in the town twinning project for their voluntary commitment. I wish all visitors a pleasant time with us in Wiesbaden, many pleasant hours together and stimulating discussions.

Sincerely

Gert-Uwe Mende
Lord Mayor