The German city of Schweinfurt is a new twin city of Lutsk
On 16 July 2023, Lutsk and the German city of Schweinfurt have signed off on an agreement to become sister cities. The partnership agreement was signed by Deputy Mayor of Lutsk Iryna Chebeliuk and Mayor of Schweinfurt Sebastian Remele during the visit of the Lutsk City Council delegation to Germany.
The agreement envisages the development of friendly relations and cooperation between the partners on the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, the implementation of useful initiatives and projects as well as cooperation in areas of common interest.
During the official signing ceremony, Iryna Chebelyuk and Sebastian Remele made entries in the golden book of Schweinfurt history. It has been kept since 1917 and contains the signatures of prominent people who have visited the city.
The programme of official meetings also included a visit to the “SKF” plant and the fire station in Schweinfurt. The production facilities were toured, as well as workshops, classrooms and equipment were looked at, respectively.
During the visit, the parties discussed areas of future cooperation. The German side emphasised its interest in deepening contacts and providing further support for our community in this difficult time of war. Iryna Chebelyuk, in turn, extended the gratitude for the indifference and assistance as well as expressed her hope for fruitful and action-oriented cooperation.
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The cooperation between the cities began last summer on the initiative of Schweinfurt and with the assistance of “SKF Ukraine”. At that time, humanitarian aid supplies started arriving from the German city for the needs of Lutsk city territorial community. These included high-power generators, functional medical beds, food, hygiene products, medicines, power banks and a Mercedes Benz rescue vehicle, which was transferred to the 1st State Fire and Rescue Squad of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Volyn Region.
In the autumn of 2022, a delegation from Schweinfurt, led by Mayor Sebastian Remele, came to Lutsk to meet with Lutsk Mayor and discuss potential areas of cooperation. The meeting resulted in the signing of a protocol of intent on cooperation. In January 2023, City Council of Schweinfurt approved the intention to establish official partnerships with the city of Lutsk.
Among the joint activities implemented was a youth exchange for 10 students from Lutsk schools aged 14-16, which took place on 8-15 July 2023 with the financial support of the city of Schweinfurt. The programme included a visit to a school in Schweinfurt, leisure activities with German teenagers and excursions.
International Cooperation and Project Activities Department