In 1965, Tübingen and Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, became partner cities, or sister cities. Our Tübingen association, Friends oft he City Partnership Tübingen – Ann Arbor, was formed in July of 2005 at the 40th anniversary of the city partnership and with the express goal of encouraging and supporting meetings and exchanges between the two cities.
Tübingen lies in the southwest of Germany, south of Stuttgart. Ann Arbor lies in the southeast of the state of Michigan, west of Detroit. In Tübingen the Swabians speak the Swabian dialect, in Ann Arbor the first settlers from the region around Tübingen spoke Swabian. An Ann Arborite reported that in the 30s on Saturdays, the day of the big market, one heard more German on Main Street than English.
Over the years many relationships have been established between citizens of the two cities, for example, through exchanges in the arts and in architecture. In addition, lasting friendships have resulted from the High School Student Exchange, which has taken place every two years since the 80’s.
In the year 2015, the 50th anniversary of the relationship was celebrated with exchange trips, an exhibition „Meet my Sister“ in the Kulturhalle, and the inclusion of the Lebenshilfe in exchanges between the sister cities. See this in our menu point „50 Years City Partnership“.
The two cities have many similarities: Tübingen and Ann Arbor are both homes to large universities, both are engaged in discussions about climate protection, urban planning, and culture. Our goal is to continue to expand our relationships to Ann Arbor, together with the support of the City of Tübingen and the German-American Institute Tübingen.
Take a little time to browse through our website. Your contributions are welcome at any time! And feel free to join us at our members’ meetings or other events. We’d like to get to know you. Maybe you’d like to get to know Ann Arbor!
Carolyn Melchers