Heide and Anklam are celebrating 35 years of partnership with special promotions!

Heide and Anklam are celebrating 35 years of partnership with special promotions!

There is a celebration in Heide - and for good reason! The northern German city and its Polish partner community Ahlan can look back on 35 successful years of cooperation. At a festive event, not only was a memorial stone inaugurated, but traditional curling was also held. Such joint activities not only strengthen friendship, but also show how important it is to work together across national borders.

Numerous citizens and official representatives from both cities came to celebrate the day to properly honor the anniversary. “What connects us is more than a partnership; it is part of our culture and our lives,” said Mayor Claudia Wörner von Heide. This appreciation for the long-standing collaboration was noticeable on this day when young and old gathered together at games and competitions and celebrated together.

Joint projects and challenges

But it's not just the friendship between the two cities that's on the agenda. Another important topic is the challenges faced by municipal companies in partner countries such as Ukraine. In recent years they have had to contend with war-related difficulties, which has made the provision of public services considerably more difficult. The operator platform for strengthening partnerships between municipal companies works intensively to find solutions to sustainably expand and modernize the technical infrastructure.

The topics of corporate management, operation and maintenance of the systems are particularly on the agenda. Through targeted technical advice and the exchange of know-how, partnerships are to be strengthened and the quality of services constantly improved. “Especially in times of crisis, it becomes clear how important solidarity and support are,” emphasizes a representative of the operator platform.

Economic basis of the partnerships

But the situation is not only tense in Ukraine; Many municipal operators in other partner countries, such as Zambia or Albania, struggle to maintain the necessary infrastructure for essential services such as water and waste disposal. Climate change and growing urbanization bring additional challenges. The platform actively promotes exchange in order to give the affected countries a helping hand and initiate sustainable positive developments.

Overall, the anniversary of the town twinning in Heide shows how important cosmopolitan thinking and action are today more than ever. The events and discussions of the past few days are proof that international cooperation is important for both economic and social stability. “Over time, we have developed a good hand for our partnerships and will continue to work on deepening them,” says the mayor optimistically.

For the citizens of Heide, one thing is certain: their city is not just a point on the map, but an active part of a larger whole in which friendships can develop and grow. With this in mind, we look forward to the future and the next 35 years of proven cooperation.