St. Charles Sister Cities

ST. CHARLES SISTER CITIES HISTORY 2012

Twenty years ago, 1992, several St. Charles people, members
of the county German Heritage Society, decided to find a sister city in
Germany. We had learned that having a sister city in a foreign land was an
asset to a city because of adult and student exchanges, learning and
experiencing the culture of a foreign land, bringing the world closer together.
With the approval of then Mayor Grace Nichols, the concept was studied and the
more we learned the more eager we were to pursue. The search for a compatible
sister city took 4 years; and, in 1996 Mayor Bob Moeller signed a covenant with
the Mayor Christof Eichert of Ludwigsburg, Germany, promising to support the
endeavors of the 2 sister cities formation and promotion. 

Sixteen years later, we can look back and know that over
1,000 students from Duchesne, Francis Howell North, Lutheran High, St. Charles
High and St. Charles West High Schools, together with over 1,000 students from
Goethe, Schiller, Moerike and Otto Hahn Gymnasiums have experienced the student exchanges, every year living in homes with host families. In this same time frame over 500 adults from St. Charles and Ludwigsburg have also been part of the exchange program, living in host family homes, experiencing what it’s like to live in Germany or in the U.S.A. There have been numerous student interns, in a bank, in city hall, in a microbrewery, as an “au pair- a Nanny” and
others.

The organization, known as St. Charles Sister Cities,(see us on Facebook) now
proudly represents two sister cities, Cardonagh, Ireland, and Ludwigsburg,
Germany. Our first student exchange to Ireland occurred this year and our
seventeenth student exchange to Germany also took place this year. German and
Irish students will be visiting St. Charles this Fall, 2012.

Our annual German Chapter fundraiser, the DeutschFest, used to raise funds to support the student exchange, will take place October 5, 2012, at the Stegton Regency Banquet Center in St. Charles.  Known to many as “the best party in St. Charles”, the evening features a wonderful German experience
of dining, dancing and fun – known to Germans as “Gemuetlichheit”.

Tickets are available from Stegton’s or from the committee headed by Joe Daues, email joedaues@yahoo.com.  We look forward to enjoying the evening with
old friends and with making new friends. 
Wilkommen!