Autumn visit from the Jumelage from Villeneuve-la-Garenne
The ladies and gentlemen from Hof's twin city in France regularly come to the city on the Saale. This year's visit was in the fall. The guests had previously explored the sights in Munich, Nymphenburg Palace and Lake Starnberg.
In Hof, the 42 members of the delegation were welcomed with a lecture in the Königssaal of Hof's main railway station. There, Jürgen Stader, Head of Municipal Affairs for the City of Hof, talked about the historic events of 35 years ago, when the Prague trains came to Hof and the people of Hof showed great willingness to help. Contemporary witnesses such as Herbert Pachsteffl, Ernst Engelhardt and city councillor Reinhard Meringer talked about their personal experiences, which aroused great interest and many questions from the guests.
On October 21, a visit to the Hochfränkische Werkstätten of the Diakonie was on the agenda. This invitation was first extended in Villeneuve-la-Garenne in September of this year, when athletes were in Paris for the Paralympics. Here, the delegation was welcomed by Managing Director Siegfried Wonsack and Workshop Manager Franz Müller and given a tour of the workshops. The guests were impressed by the working conditions, which are individually adapted to the needs of people with disabilities. The workshops, which work for well-known companies in the region, were highlighted as an example of inclusion and social responsibility.
The visit to Hof ended in the Dorfschänke Gattendorf, where Mayor Angela Bier warmly welcomed the French delegation on behalf of the city of Hof. In her speech, she emphasized that the partnership with Villeneuve-la-Garenne is older than the German-German town twinning with Plauen and underlined the importance of such encounters for strengthening Franco-German friendship. Angela Bier thanked the Hof Franco-German Society (DFG) and all those involved for their efforts to maintain and further develop this special relationship.
On October 22, the guests from France set off on their journey home, laden with Hof specialties such as beer and other regional products. The town twinning between Hof and Villeneuve-la-Garenne, which has now existed for over 40 years, will continue to be cultivated through such visits and projects in the areas of sport, culture and youth work.