Darmstadt celebrates 50 years of its district partnership with Troyes
The science city of Darmstadt has awarded Stéphane Bouhéret from Troyes and Rainer Pabst from Darmstadt the Friendship Plaque.
The occasion is the 50th anniversary of the town twinning between the Saint Martin district in Troyes and the Martinsviertel district in Darmstadt. According to the city, it is the oldest district partnership in Europe.
Recognition for decades of dedication
The two honorees were nominated by the Martinsviertel district association.
At the award ceremony, Mayor Hanno Benz praised the long-standing commitment of the two to Franco-German friendship and the town twinning.
For five decades, citizens of Troyes and Darmstadt have been visiting each other regularly. The guests traditionally stay with host families, which has led to numerous personal friendships.
The connection has existed for almost 40 years
A special example of this is the friendship between Stéphane Bouhéret and Rainer Pabst.
Since 1986, during their reciprocal visits, they have stayed with each other's families. They originally met through the football clubs involved.
Organization of the partnership
Stéphane Bouhéret has been president of the Comité Saint Martin Troyes since 2019 and organizes the meetings on the French side.
Members of his family had also been involved in the partnership for many years.
Rainer Pabst was active for many years in the twinning department of the Martinsviertel district association and helped organize numerous exchanges. As early as 1980, he hosted guests from Troyes for the first time, and a year later he traveled to France himself for the first time.
Anniversary celebration on the Pentecost weekend
During the Pentecost weekend from May 22nd to 24th, guests from Troyes will once again visit the Martinsviertel district of Darmstadt to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the partnership.
(DARMSTADT – RED/PSD/dk)
