Freundeskreis Polozk is a German registered association in Friedrichshafen that manages relationship with sister cities.

Freundeskreis Polozk
AbbreviationFreundskreis Polozk e.V.
Formation21.June 1995
Legal statusNot-for-profit, membership-based organisation
PurposeFostering the relationship to twin town Polack in Belarus
Location
Region served
Germany
Second chairman
Elvira Müller, Hubert Weiss
Websitewww.freundeskreis-polozk.de

History

edit

It was founded on the initiative of city councilor Rotraut Binder and citizen Karl Bachmann with the intention to establish a club to stimulate Friedrichshafen committed citizens to organize the new urban partnership between Friedrichshafen and the Belarusian city Polack.

In 1985, the regional council of Friedrichshafen identified Polack as a city in the Soviet Union with a comparable degree of destruction during the second world war and linked with it in 1990.[1][2] In 1995 the association was founded. The demand was for war reparations. In 1996[3] and 2004[3] the group traveled to Polack, In 2011 Project Clear water Polozk was conducted.[4] In 2013 Project 'Hört mit' ( hearing aids for Polack) was conducted.[5] In 2015 25 Jjähriges Jubiläum der Städtepartnerschaft in Polozk was conducted.[6] In 2018 the group cycled to Polack.[7]

Friedrichshafen's other sister cities are Sarajevo/Bosnia and Herzegovina, Saint-Dié-des-Vosges/France, Delitzsch/Germany, Imperia/Italy and Peoria/Illinois/United States.

Supraregional meaning

edit

Because of the complex political situation and dictatorial leadership of president Alexander Lukashenko,[8] European Union sanctions and the German government,[9] and political pressure on Russian and Belarusian governments, the Minsk administration surrounding Lukashenko is fostering urban partnerships.[10]

The association serves a supra-regional function for the projects they organise.[11] The commitment was affirmed at the Sustainability Conference at Minsk, in June 2018.[12] The trip covered. 2200 km in 10 days on a folding bike.[13]

Humanitarian projects

edit

Freundeskreis Polack organized Warm Winter, Meeting lonesome people, Woman's help for women projects and supported projects together with the Belarusian association Strumok and Tschernobyl echo.[14]

Meetings

edit

Citizens of the sister cities meet with the group.[15] 13 train trips and 4 camper trips were organized since 1995.

References

edit
  1. ^ "Partnerstädte". friedrichshafen.de (in German). Retrieved 23 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Local council signes up twin city agreement". www.friedrichshafen.de (in German). Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Reisen – Freundeskreis Polozk e.V."
  4. ^ "Projekt ist Sprungbrett für sauberes Wasser in Weißrussland". Schwäbische. 11 February 2011.
  5. ^ "Humanitarian aid for Polotsk". www.competition2013.belarusinfocus.info (in German). Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  6. ^ Kehlert, Karin (June 20, 2016). "Friedrichshafen: Fest der Freundschaft: 25 Jahre Städtepartnerschaft zwischen Friedrichshafen und". Südkurier.
  7. ^ "Heldenabend 2018: RusslandFALTzug". Radsport am Bodensee. 8 December 2018.
  8. ^ Rausing, Sigrid (7 October 2012). "Belarus: inside Europe's last dictatorship". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  9. ^ Isken, C. (28 February 2019). "EU Council: Restrictive measures against Belarus extended". Bundesanzeigerverlag. Berlin. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  10. ^ "General informations to bilateral relationships between Belarus and Germany". minsk.diplo.de (in German). Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  11. ^ "The project "House without solitude" launched Polotsk together with German Association". vitvesti.by (in Belarusian). Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  12. ^ "Internationale Nachhaltigkeitskonferenz in Minsk". ibb-d.de (in German). Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  13. ^ "Auf dem Klapprad nach Polozk". Schwäbische. 12 December 2018.
  14. ^ "Projekte – Übersicht – Freundeskreis Polozk e.V."
  15. ^ "Studierende aus Polozk besuchten Zeppelin Universität". www.zu.de.
edit