The partnership between Jefferson City and Mnchberg, Germany, almost didn't occur.
It's not a secret that some of the city council members of Mnchberg weren't sure about starting the partnership. The minority party, SPD (Social Democratic Party Germany), was concerned about the distance between the two cities, the costs for flying overseas to visit each other and the difference in sizes of the cities. Jefferson City has four times more people than Mnchberg.
But to former Mnchberg Mayor Thomas Fein (CSU Christian Socialist Party), those excuses were ridiculous. "We had this request from Jefferson City, which is, compared to Mnchberg, a huge city and also a capital city. Plus there has been the convincing argument of our common history with the Mnchberg emigrants to JC. So I thought, 'Wow, we definitely should do this!'"
The first German-American city partnership after World War II was founded in 1952 between Coburg and Garden City, New York. It took more than 50 years before the Jefferson City-Mnchberg partnership took place on Dec. 16, 2004.
It was not the first time the city of Mnchberg thought about establishing a partnership with another city. But they searched in different direction - East - to Czech Republic city Ledec, which is a close neighbor of Germany.
It was Fein who convinced the other council members to vote for Jefferson City. He showed them the letter written by Jefferson City historian Walter A. Schroeder and also the official request from former Mayor John Landwehr. Both told the stories of German emigrants who came to Jefferson City in the 19th century and established Old Munichburg, which is the town's South Side today.
"We even have a similar name: Old Munichburg Mnchberg. Come on, that would be a total waste not to install a partnership. It would be like ignoring history," Fein said.
One other reason for the partnership with Jefferson City instead of Ledec was the language. German people normally do not have problems with speaking English, but do have trouble with Czech. "When you always need a translator to get in contact, then how can a spark ignite?" Fein asked rhetorically.
No sooner said than done.
Since then, 12 years have passed. Official delegations from Mnchberg have been in Jefferson City twice; official delegations from Jefferson City visited three times, most recently in 2014 when the Mnchberg celebrated its 650th anniversary. Mnchberg first was mentioned in the books in the 10th century.
The official delegations always bring gifts to exchange. Mostly these are small presents like coins, books, towels, beer mugs. Once Mnchberg shipped a 220-pound gneis, a type of rock from a well-known Mnchberg quarry, to Jefferson City. This stone now is located in Old Munichburg where everyone can view it. Jefferson City, in return, gave a big tapestry with the city emblem and colors to the town hall in Mnchberg.
Aside from the official visits, a lot of curious residents from both visit the sister cities on their own. They have different reasons for going overseas.
For Jefferson City residents, it's mostly about genealogy - to see where their ancestors came from and how they lived in Mnchberg and nearby villages. The McNay family of Jefferson City, for example, visited Mnchberg in 2015 to fill their family tree with names of people and locations. And they found a lot of them. Leah Raithel McNay and her cousin Sandra were stunned when they met a remote relative who looked like the twin brother of their American cousin.
For the Mnchberg people, it's to discover the "big land of freedom" - Germans' nickname for the U.S. And they have a growing interest in the partner city because of the coverage in the Frankenpost, a regional German newspaper that regularly informs its readers about the latest news and events in Jefferson City. As a result, young and elderly readers alike book flights to Missouri's capital. Some of them come for vacations, while others study and work here for a short time.
The partnership isn't about business, such as trade. "At least not for the Americans," former Mayor John Landwehr said. And current Mayor Carrie Tergin added: "It's about learning from each other, about different cultures and traditions. Such a partnership can open doors. We just have to go through."
"We have this partnership since 12 years, and it works. What we now have to do, is to keep things running. We could try to get our schools connected, start to do online educational programs together for example," Mnchberg Mayor Christian Zuber suggested.
Tergin also has a suggestion. She would like to create a common Facebook group for people in both cities to share their pictures from exchanges or can find contacts, when needed.
Zuber likes that idea. "We should connect not only the town halls, but also connect private people and institutions. A partnership comes to life when it grows together on different levels," he said
One of those growth opportunities will take place in August 2017, when a delegation from Mnchberg will travel to Jefferson City. Old and new friends will meet and come together, like the idea of the founders of the city partnership between Mnchberg and Jefferson City intended.