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Twinning with France: Panketal celebrates new friendship!
Panketal is strengthening the town partnership with Saulx-les-Chartreux, promoting cultural exchange and planning joint projects.
Twinning with France: Panketal celebrates new friendship!
An exciting connection between Panketal and the French community of Saulx-les-Chartreux continues to take shape. The official town twinning, which was launched in January 2024, was now further consolidated with an official visit at the New Year's reception in Saulx-les-Chartreux. A seven-member delegation from Panketal traveled to France for the festive events in order to strengthen cultural and social ties. According to Barnim Aktuell, the importance of this partnership for the community association and the exchange between citizens was highlighted.
At the festive event, the mayors Maximilian Wonke (Panketal) and Stéphane Bazile (Saulx-les-Chartreux) signed the declaration of intent for the partnership. In his speech, which he delivered in French, Wonke emphasized the role of the European Union as a guarantor of peace and cooperation. This commitment was recognized with applause from the citizens present. Bazile described the signing as a real milestone and highlighted the common will to maintain close relations between the two communities. The honorary citizenship awarded to Uwe Voß, Maximilian Wonke, Cassandra Lehnert and Frank Wollgast was particularly pleasing, as Barnim Aktuell reports.
Joint projects in view
The partnership goes beyond formal agreements. In the two years since it was founded, numerous child and youth exchanges have taken place, which show how important interpersonal contact is. Good contacts were also established between historical societies and in the cultural sector. In order to further strengthen the friendship, both communities plan to further expand the exchange and launch new joint projects. This includes future activities such as a football match between Panketal and Saulx-les-Chartreux as well as a visit by senior citizens on the occasion of Seniors' Day in Panketal.
Maximilian Wonke presented the mayor of Saulx-les-Chartreux with an engraved bell, which will be used in lively discussions in the municipal council of Saulx-les-Chartreux. A gift that not only has symbolic value, but is also intended to encourage practical communication between communities. In addition, the municipality of Panketal presented a swamp oak as a gift, which has now been planted in front of the town hall in Saulx-les-Chartreux to visually underline the bond.
Positive feedback and cooperation
One day after the partnership was signed, a working meeting took place between employees of both administrations and members of sports and cultural clubs. The aim was to organize a sports and cultural weekend for young people in Panketal. This positive response and the will to implement it demonstrate the high level of commitment that both communities put into the collaboration. It turns out that the focus is not only on exchange on a cultural level, but also on promoting German-French friendship, as projects from the brochure “Ideas for German-French Friendship”, which were created by committed people from Germany and France, make clear.
Anyone who is interested in the activities or would like to get involved can contact the European Partnership Association Panketal e.V. The partnership between Panketal and Saulx-les-Chartreux is a wonderful example of European cooperation in action and gives hope for many more creative and connecting projects.
For further information on the progress and developments of the town twinning, please visit the articles on Barnim Aktuell, Bernau Live and the project “101 Ideas for German-French Friendship”. This way you stay well informed about the exciting opportunities the partnership offers: