Guten Tag! This year, the City of Arlington is celebrating the 65th anniversary of its Sister City partnership with Bad Königshofen, Germany.

A group of 22 delegates from Arlington, led by Mayor Pro Tempore Sheri Capehart, are visiting Germany this month to participate in festivities observing the 1,275th Anniversary of Bad Königshofen.

How the Friendship Began

Arlington's relationship with Bad Königshofen, a small northern Bavarian town in West Germany, began in the summer of 1951, when the German town manager Kurt Zuhlke visited Arlington at the end of a study tour of the United States. Local historians say the town manager made an unscheduled stop in the city because a German tour participant had a pen pal in Arlington. Through this pen pal relationship, the town manager had an opportunity to meet and visit with then Arlington Mayor Tom Vandergriff.

During their meeting, the visiting town manager told Vandergriff about the difficulties his town was facing because of its location at the border between West and East Germany. He said hundreds of people from the communist east had overwhelmed his small German town, and there was a shortage of food and clothing.

Moved by the plight of the town, Mayor Vandergriff and the Arlington Chamber of Commerce coordinated a community drive to collect food, clothing and gifts. In 1952, the first of four railroad boxcar shipments left Arlington for Bad Königshofen.

Expressions of thanks from German residents showed that the assistance from Arlington was more than food and clothing, but a true sign of friendship, which residents have continued to recognize and celebrate.

Today, the promotion of peace through mutual respect and coordination continues to bond the two cities.

In 1954, Königshofen named its city park "Arlington-Park" as an expression of thanks and to honor Arlington for its generous help during a time of need. Arlington also has amenities named for its Sister City.

In September 2003, Arlington sculptures and visiting artists from Germany created the International Peace and Friendship Monument. The 12-foot stainless steel sculpture stands in a downtown Arlington park across from City Hall.

In 2006, the City also opened the Bad Königshofen Family Aquatic Center at Stovall Park in south Arlington. The Parks and Recreation Department is inviting the community to celebrate the pool's 10^th anniversary from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. July 15 with games, frozen treats and prizes.

Arlington-Bad Königshofen 65th Anniversary Coins