Sister Cities News

Farewell visit from Bill Purcell in Magdeburg

Bill Purcell und Dr. Uwe Küster From the 16th to 19th of August Mr. Bill Purcell visited our city Magdeburg. Along with him came good friends from Nashville; Doug Berry, president of Sister Cities Nashville and Bob Bogen, former councilman.

On the 16th of August the German-American Dialog Centre organized a reception in honor of mayor Bill Purcell in the Otto-von Guericke museum Lukasklause. As you know, the Nashville Promenade ends there. Approximately 120 friends and interested people of the city partnership Magdeburg-Nashville joined the occasion. Chairman of the German-American Dialog Centre, Dr. Uwe Küster, Lord mayor Dr. Lutz Trümper and chairman of the Otto-von-Guericke company, Prof. Kattanek have been among the guests and spoke some greetings. Mayor Bill Purcell was very grateful for this warm welcome. For the opportunity of his visit here in Magdeburg he was given a special press part of the local newspaper VOLKSSTIMME, about which he was especially happy. On sides of the Otto-von Guericke Company there was a nice presentation of the famous hemisphere-experiment.

On the following Friday, August 17th, mayor Bill Purcell met Lord mayor Dr Lutz Trümper to a talk in the Magdeburg city hall. They were accompanied by deputy mayors Beate Bröcker, Dr. Klaus Puchta and Jörn Marx. All of them visited the plenum of the city-council afterwards. Later that afternoon Bill Purcell visited the library together with Dr. Uwe Küster and our friends from Nashville. There they informed each other about the project America@yourlibrary and the Nashville-Info-Point. After ending this point they went on to a tour through the Virtual Development Training Centre (VDTC) of the Fraunhofer Institute, a virtual three dimensional novelty in the Elbe Dome. At the round flight in a double-deck airplane, type Antonow 2 and aslo called “the Red Baron”, Bill Purcell, Doug Berry and Bob Bogen experienced their ister city from another perspective. In the evening there was a “Get-together” in the “Montego Beach-Club”, located in the science-harbour of Magdeburg. Our member Ralf Todzi, master confectioner, has made a torte with a picture of Bill Purcell on it.

Saturday the 18th, began with a panoramic Elbe-cruise of the White Armada on MS “Saxony-Anhalt”. He thus had the chance to get learn about Magdeburg by land, water and air. For this day Sabine Schlunk, who works in Nashville, took part on this program along with her mother. The family Kühne has prepared a romantic lunch for our friends at the castle of Wanzleben. In the afternoon Bill Purcell, Doug Berry and Bob Bogen have joined to watch a training of the Virgin Guards. The culminating final of the program has been the Balloon magic and the Night Glow in the Elbauenpark. These unforgettable experiences will surely stay in or minds. We thank our friends from Nashville for their stay and greatly look forward to continuing the good collaboration. On this very point we would certainly also like to thank all of the kind helpers during the stay of our Nashvillian friends.