On 18th June 2004, a sister city relationship was established between the German Möckmühl and the Hungarian Piliscsaba. The partnership has been very strong ever since it was established 10 years ago, which is supported by the fact that citizens from Piliscsaba, led by Csaba Gáspár, the mayor, made a visit to Möckmühl for the jubilee.
Möckmühl has roughly, 1200 years of history. It is situated north from Heilbronn at a 169 to 350m high rolling area at the firth of River Seckach and River Jagst. Möckmühl is located in the south-western German state of Baden-Württemberg. Piliscsaba is situated 25 kilometers from Budapest, the capital of Hungary. It is a multi-ethnic settlement where the Hungarian, Slovak, Swabian German and Romani live in harmony with each other. Although the size of Piliscsaba is not large, it is a University town. Pázmány Péter Catholic University Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences can be found hereose,furbished. Would you have guessed that the University was first and just after, Piliscsaba became a city? It is true… It was only in June 2013 that Piliscsaba was granted a “City status” due to the decision of the President of the Republic.
The distance between the two sister cities is almost 900km, the 10-year relationship, however, is still active and well. We had a short interview about this relationship with the mayor of Piliscsaba.
Why is it so important that Piliscsaba has a German sister city?
Piliscsaba is a multi-ethnic City, the German community there has long preserved their traditions and actively participate in cultural events. The Hauck János German National School has been working since 1999, so this sister city relationship is very important for students learning in this school, but I believe that the relationship is also benefi cial for all residents of the city.
How does sister city cooperation work?
A regular relationship has primarily been developed in the fi eld of culture and education. The German communities Self-Government and the German Cultural Society maintain constant contact with the leaders in Möckmühl. The students of Hauck János School and the primary school of Möckmühl meet each year. We, the city leaders, also have discussions and get together several times a year.
What events did the hosts of Möckmühl organize for the 10-year anniversary?
At the request of the Mayor of Möckmühl we arrived on 30th April:the students of Hauck János Primary School, the Sports Association, the German Cultural Association, and members of the representative body, all counted… 91 people. We took part in the traditional Maypole ceremony. The offi cial jubilee ceremony was opened by the Mayor, Mr. Ulrich Stammer, at 6 p.m. The students of Hauck János Primary School also had performances: fi rst a play in German and then a dance at the ceremony and the activity was a great success. The women’s choir of Möckmühl who sang the Wind of Spring (“Tavaszi szél vizet áraszt”) song in Hungarian was a great surprise. Dr. Bernhard Lasotta, the politician responsible for integration policies in the province of CDU Baden-Württemberg, gave the ceremony the light of his countenance too.
What is the key of the “diplomacy” between the cities?
First of all, the active involvement of the German Cultural Society and the German National Self-Government, but of course a lot depends on the mindset of the local government and the representative bodies. Personally, I have always supported strengthening relationships and the continuous improvement and appropriate maintenance of existing ones.
