Chronology

2005

January 2005 – “Nashville-Ufer” in Magdeburg

In early 2005, the CDU in Magdeburg’s city council petitioned to name a street here for our Sister City Nashville.

March 22, 2005 – Magdeburg MUN Project Group Visits New York and Nashville

In March, students from Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg took part in the Model United Nations in New York. Based on selection tests in June 2004, eighteen students were chosen from some seventy applicants. They were supervised by six student tutors who had already taken part in simulations in previous years. The Magdeburg students represented the African country of Zambia as well as the non-governmental organization the International Red Cross and Crescent. They took their places as delegates in the original committees and reenacted negotiations on selected issues. Around 3300 students from all over the world attended the Model United Nations in New York. Afterward, the Magdeburg students flew to Nashville for another varied and interesting program put together by Joel Dark and Sister Cities of Nashville.

April 2005 – “Magdeburg Street” in Nashville

In early April 2005, German-American Dialog Center spokesman Georg von der Gablentz, traveled to Nashville where he presented Mayor Bill Purcell a very special gift, a proper street sign for Nashville’s “Magdeburg Street”. The mayor was visibly pleased and is now looking for the right location. The Germantown neighborhood in east Nashville is favored. The naming of streets after the respective Sister Cities is a visible symbol of the Sister Cities relationship. While in Nashville, Georg von der Gablentz visited the Martha O’Bryan Center together with Doug Berry to personally meet with our alternative service sponsee Gordon Niemann from Magdeburg and find out about his social work as well as his experiences. What is more, an agreement was reached to continue the alternative service program at the Martha O’Bryan Center.

May 6, 2005 – Get Together at the Cafè am Fluss

A delegation from Nashville was in Magdeburg in early May on the occasion of the “Magdeburg 12hundert” festivities marking the city’s anniversary. Along with Mayor Bill Purcell, we welcomed Doug Berry (President of Sister Cities of Nashville), Marion and Bob Bogen, Marietta Shipley, Bill Patrick and Marc Looney. Following a reception given by Saxony-Anhalt Minister President Wolfgang Böhmer, there was a get together for all the supporters of the Magdeburg-Nashville Sister Cities relationship.

The get together arranged by the Dialog Center took place at the Cafè am Fluss directly on the Elbe. The reunion was properly celebrated in a sociable atmosphere. Chairman Uwe Küster presented gifts as signs of our solidarity and even the theater magdeburg shone with a specially prepared cake given the first cut by Bill Purcell. Apart from the Nashville delegation itself, the approximately seventy supporters present included US Consul General Fletcher M. Burton, Magdeburg Mayor Lutz Trümper, city anniversary patron Edzard Reuter and former Magdeburg mayor Willi Polte.

May 7, 2005 – Kaiser Otto Prize Awarded

The eponymous foundation for the promotion of European ideals awarded its first Kaiser Otto Prize. The recipient, former Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker, was awarded his prize at the graveside of Otto I in Magdeburg Cathedral during the city’s major anniversary ceremony. The 1200 foreign and German guests invited included the delegation from Nashville with Mayor Bill Purcell. He was officially received afterward by Mayor Trümper in the old national bank building near the cathedral. This was followed by a visit to the exhibition on “The History of the City from 805 to 2005″ at the Kulturhistorisches Museum. In the evening, all the Nashvillians marveled at the light and sound performance with huge fireworks by the artist Gerd Hof on Magdeburg’s cathedral square, which was followed by a party.

May 9, 2005 – City Partnership Working Staff

The city partnership working staff had the pleasure of welcoming Doug Berry as its guest of honor to its eighteenth meeting. This was an excellent opportunity to find out about the structures and operation of Sister Cities of Nashville and to talk about upcoming projects such as the joint theater project “das treffen – the other side” in September 2005. An outing to the concert given by Dr. Dewayne Pigg and the Stones River Chamber Player at the Magdeburg Gesellschaftshaus brought the delegation’s visit to a pleasant conclusion.

May 31, 2005 – Vanderbilt University Chancellor Visits

Vanderbilt University Chancellor Gordon Gee and a delegation from the university visited the capital city of Magdeburg. Other members of the delegation were Claudia Hazelwood, Dr. Joel and Beth Harrington, Michael Schoenfeld and Prof. Dieter Sevin. After our guests from Nashville toured Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg and talked at length with University President Pollmann, they met with the members of the Dialog Center for a get together at Fort Mark. They also visited the Fraunhofer Institute and toured Magdeburg cathedral. The previous day, the Nashville delegation had visited the Reichstag in Berlin where they were received by Dr. Uwe Küster, MdB.

June 21, 2005 – Farewell to Fletcher M. Burton

On June 21, the German-American Dialog Center Magdeburg hosted a festive reception on theater magdeburg’s boulevard stage to say farewell to US Consul General Fletcher M. Burton “. As Consul General in Germany, Fletcher M. Burton not only actively supported the German-American Dialog Center but also the evolving Sister Cities relationship between Magdeburg and Nashville. Without his great personal solidarity, the Sister Cities relationship would have developed far less quickly and successfully. Thus, Mr. Burton played a crucial role in its lasting success. He became a good friend and a close ally in defining and deepening German-American friendship and the Sister Cities relationship between Magdeburg and Nashville. In view of his extraordinary contributions to the Sister Cities relationship, it was deeply important to the German-American Dialog Center to bestow honorary membership on Fletcher M. Burton on the evening he bade Magdeburg farewell.

July 11, 2005 – Nashvillepromenade

Magdeburg City Council resolved to rename part of the “Elbuferpromenade” “Nashvillepromenade”, thus responding to the desire for a visible symbol of the Sister Cities relationship, intensively supported by the Dialog Center. At the Strandbar in Magdeburg, Dialog Center Chairman Dr. Uwe Küster presented the departing Consul General Fletcher M. Burton with a street sign bearing the name “Nashvillepromenade”.

July 13, 2005 – Farewell to Bob Bogen

Our Nashvillian Bob Bogen’s friends from the Dialog Center in Magdeburg bade him farewell in mid July 2005. A reception in his honor was held at the Cafe am Fluss on July 13. After nearly a year in Magdeburg in which he made many friends and improved his German, he was seen off to his hometown of Nashville. Not only did he take many memories home with him but also a title. He was named Ambassador for Magdeburg for his contributions to the Magdeburg-Nashville Sister Cities relationship. City Manager Steffen Schüller presented him a document certifying this. Bob said he would especially miss the well organized public transportation. On the other hand he was particularly looking forward to seeing his dog.

August 2005 – Alternative Service

Since August 1, 2005, Christoph Pross has been our second sponsee performing his alternative service in Nashville. He is providing care to children at the Martha O’Bryan Center, a charitable organization providing services to disadvantaged children and youths. He has regularly reported on his experiences in the USA. You may read his reports here.

September 30 – October 2, 2005 – Live Transatlantic Project

A special premiere was celebrated at the end of September. As part of Magdeburg’s 1200 year anniversary celebration, the joint multimedia project “das treffen – the other side” had its premiere in the theater magdeburg and the Tennessee Repertory Theatre in Nashville. Patrons were Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen and Saxony-Anhalt Minister President Wolfgang Böhmer. This was the first time people on two continents were able to simultaneously watch five performances together and see each other by satellite.