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Bremen / Danzig (dpa / lni) - The Hanseatic cities of Bremen and Danzig (Gdansk) in Poland celebrated their city partnership founded 45 years ago on Monday.
In an online ceremony, Mayor Andreas Bovenschulte (SPD) declared himself a great supporter of international town twinning.
While the signs of the times point to isolation in many places, "cities as centers of modernity and globality" should come into contact with one another, he said.
In 1976, Bremen was the first West German city to enter into a partnership with a city in Poland, which was then still under communist rule.
Until then, only cities in the GDR had partnerships with Poland.
There are many questions for cities that can be solved together, such as environmental protection or sustainable development, said Agnieszka Owczarczak, chairwoman of the Gdańsk city parliament.
The partnership with Bremen is important: "In many periods it meant strong support."
After the democratic change in 1989, Danzig learned from Bremen's experience of self-government.
The city is now trying to pass this on to its eastern partners in Belarus or Ukraine, said Owczarczak.
Gdansk on the Baltic Sea is Poland's sixth largest city with a population of 470,000.
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Anniversary year program