City Partnerships

Frankfurt has excellent links to 17 partner cities on four continents in almost all parts of the world – in Europe, the Middle and Far East and across the Atlantic. Frankfurt's oldest friendship agreement was concluded back on 8 October 1960 with Lyon. This emerged from the desire for lasting reconciliation, which prompted local authorities after the Second World War to organise meetings between people from former enemy states, for example between the age-old antagonists Germany and France. Lyon was later joined by other partners from Europe and further afield. Today the main focus has shifted towards the intensification of cultural, intellectual and economic links. The principal emphasis remains on facilitating personal encounters across cultural borders – especially between young people. This is evidenced by the large number of school and club exchanges that the City of Frankfurt supports each year. It also organises cultural and specialist exchanges, and fosters academic and scientific cooperation. City partnerships can also open doors, initiate dialogue and promote trust in the area of economic cooperation.

Frankfurt's city partnerships are characterised by their vitality and authenticity. People in the partner cities get to know and inspire each other through regular high-calibre cultural and economic exchange programmes, but also through a variety of personal encounters. The high number of citizen, student and club exchange trips to which the City of Frankfurt am Main offers (not only moral) support proves how strong the interest remains in meeting people from Frankfurt's partner cities.