Sister Cities Dole (France)

Lahr and the French town of Dole were twinned in 1962. Since then, several thousand French and German schoolchildren have enjoyed exchange visits. The active partnership is managed by partnership committees, associations, musicians, and many groups and private individuals.

History of the partnership:

Blick auf eine idyllische Häuserfront mit vielen Blumenkästen am Geländer des Kanals in Dole
Quelle: Fotograf: Henri Bertand

Keen to promote understanding between Germany and France while French forces were stationed in Lahr, Monot, the French garrison commander, and the then Lord Mayor of Lahr, Dr Heinrich Friedrich, were behind the original town-twinning agreement. In 1962, the then mayors of the two towns, Lord Mayor Dr Philipp Brucker (Lahr) and Mayor Charles Laurent-Thouverey (Dole), signed the partnership document.

Partnership activities:

A school exchange programme was launched in 1961, and some 9,000 students have now taken part in the exchange programme — a key pillar of the German-French friendship.

Over the decades, an active exchange has developed. Association members, fire crews, artists, restaurant owners, musicians, hospital employees, police officers and other groups have all visited one another.

The first visit to the sister city by gardeners from Lahr continues to have an influence: this get-together in Dole gave rise to the idea of growing and showing cascade chrysanthemums back home in Lahr. The result was the 'Chrysanthema', the city’s annual three-week event highlight.

This active partnership would not be possible without the support of both partnership committees, and their complete commitment to working together.

The town of Dole:

Dole, the birthplace of Louis Pasteur, is idyllically situated in the Franche-Comté region of the French Jura. The area is noted for rivers, such as the Doubs“ and the Loue, as well as the “Chaux, France's largest deciduous forest.

Contact

Office de Tourisme du Pays de Dole
6, Place Grevy
39100 DOLE

FRANCE

Tel.: 0033 / (0)3 / 84 72 11 22
Email: info@tourisme-paysdedole.fr
Internet: www.tourisme-paysdedole.fr or
www.doledujura.fr