Nuremberg,
Germany
Since August 1998
Committee Chair: Matt Ohm
About
Nuremberg
Mayor
515,543
German
The city of Nuremberg, dating back to 1050, is in the German state of Bavaria. The city is famous for its medieval walls and ancient castle, gingerbread cookies, toy manufacturing, Gothic churches, Nuremberger bratwurst, its Christmas market, and human rights advocacy. In January 1945, nearly 90% of the old city of Nuremberg was bombed and destroyed because of its historic importance to Hitler and the Nazis. The famous Nuremberg Castle and the city wall were damaged in the bombing raid, but have since been restored.
Today, Nuremberg boasts a unique mixture of tradition and modern times. Its almost thousand years of history are still obvious in its cityscape. The city acknowledges the historical responsibility resulting from its special role during the period of Nazi rule, and for this reason it actively promotes respect for human rights. In addition to international conferences, human rights education in the Nazi Party Rally Grounds Documentation Center, the Human Rights Film Festival and other events, these efforts include the Nuremberg International Human Rights Award. Today, Nuremberg citizens from all nationalities live together in an atmosphere characterized by tolerance and calm co-existence; and the city supports international relations with 14 cities.
Since the 1970s, Nuremberg has transformed itself into a service center with high growth rates in the fields of innovative services. The strengths of the Nuremberg economic region lie in the fields of communication and multimedia, traffic engineering and logistics, energy and environment, power electronics and service industries.
Nuremberg expertise, particularly in some seminal technologies, ranks among the best in Europe. Valuable impetus is given by research institutes located in the Nuremberg region, such as the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits.
Nuremberg is one of Europe's fastest growing trade fair locations. Every year, over 1.2 million people visit about 100 events and about 50 specialist trade fairs and congresses, including the world's largest specialist trade fair for toys.
About the Partnership
Since 1993, Nuremberg’s then Lord Mayor Dr. Peter Schönlein conceptualized the Nuremberg International Human Rights Award. And every other year since 1995, the City of Nuremberg has bestowed the award on a jury-selected individual or group who has, in an exemplary manner, committed themselves to human rights, sometimes at considerable personal risk. Since 2013, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights (NCCHR) in Atlanta hosts and honors the International Human Rights Awardee the years following Nuremberg’s award ceremonies. The Center convenes a symposium in Atlanta that brings attention to and engages activists in the work of the awardee. This collaboration between the two cities furthers our efforts of defending the rights and freedoms of everyday people and organizations where they are under threat.
The Herman-Kesten Fellowship, established in 2000, is a prestigious international fellowship which is organized by the City of Nuremberg’s Office of International Relations. Through a competitive process, a stipend is awarded biennially to writers, journalists, and other artists from Nuremberg’s twin cities. Fellows live and work in Nuremberg for two weeks, participating in readings, tours, and discussions about German language and culture. In return, fellows return to their home cities to share their experiences through various media. Atlanta has had a participating fellow since the program’s inception; and the Atlanta-Nuremberg Committee has participated in this prestigious fellowship, each year, by recruiting applicants and providing supports as needed.
Since 2014, the Maynard Jackson High School Atlanta and the Sigmund-Schuckert Gymnasium Nuremberg facilitate a student exchange which incorporates a student-led human rights project in co-operation with the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The students also engage with the German Consul General’s Office and the Goethe-Zentrum Atlanta.
The Nürnberger Christkindlesmarkt is one of the largest Christmas markets in Germany and one of the most famous in the world – boasting approximately two million visitors annually. For more than a decade, an Atlanta-Nuremberg Committee representative has operated the Atlanta Booth in the international section of the Nuremberg Christmas Market featuring treats that depict Georgia’s infectious southern charm to paraphernalia specific to Atlanta’s alluring culture.
Recent Activities
2023
City of Atlanta's Mayor's Office of International and Immigrant Affairs (MOIIA) hosted a delegation led by Nuremberg Mayor Marcus König of City Councilors, City officials, business, and university representatives who met with Mayor Dickens. They discussed the successful sister-city relationship and how our two cities can continue to collaborate to strengthen our ties further.
They also welcomed a youth delegation from the German-American Institute Nuremberg. The youth delegation consisted of 12 highly motivated teenagers who are visiting Atlanta to foster the German-American friendship, learn about U.S. culture and history, and encourage cultural peer-to-peer exchange while participating in an active sister city partnership.
The delegations got a chance to tour City Hall and met with City Council President Doug Shipman to see the City Council Chambers, learn about the structure of Atlanta City Council, and see how Atlantans participate in lawmaking.
In addition to meeting Mayor Andre Dickens at City Hall, the youth group meet with U.S. high school student from Benjamin E Mays High School.
MOIIA led a dialogue between all of the students to talk about the significance of Nuremberg and Atlanta's important sister city relationship.
Past Activities
2016
In February 2016, Stefan Grasse, a freelance concert guitarist and producer in Nuremberg, returned to the Goethe-Zentrum Atlanta for a concert. A partnership between the Atlanta-Nuremberg Sister Cities Committee, the City of Nuremberg, and the Goethe-Zentrum, the concert was part of the Goethe-Zentrum’s mission to promote German culture.
Throughout 2016, the robust student exchange program between Atlanta’s Maynard Jackson High School and Nuremberg’s Sigmund-Schuckert Gymnasium was in overdrive with three very active student exchanges. Students from the Sigmund-Schuckert Gymnasium traveled to Atlanta in March and October and Atlanta students traveled to Nuremberg in June. Centered on human rights issues, the students’ research and presentations focused on capital punishment, the murders believed to have been committed by the National Socialist Underground (NSU), and education.
During the month of June, a 15-member delegation – which included several board members of the German American Chamber of Commerce (GACC) – traveled to Nuremberg for a series of meetings and tours with international companies and government officials. During the trade mission, the delegation was hosted for by Lord Mayor Ulrich Maly, met with the city treasurer, the deputy mayor for Economic Affairs, the director of International Relations, and leaders of the Nuremberg Chamber of Commerce and the Foreign Trade Commission.
The Atlanta-Nuremberg Committee also hosted and co-sponsored three visual artists, Julia Frischmann, Markus Burkard, and Tobias Buckel, from the city of Nuremberg to participate in the four-week artist retreat at The Carroll House in Atlanta in May 2016. The four-week artist residency included a total of seven artists who were selected through a competitive application process, selection committee members evaluated the candidates’ body of work, the diversity of their experience, and their potential to add to the richness of the fellowship. The Fellows had the opportunity to focus on their art, intermingle with other artists, and share philosophy, technique, and industry trends with invited art enthusiasts, supporters, gallerists, and experts - all while exploring a new city and culture.
In 2016, the German American Cultural Foundation (Atlanta) started Atlanta’s first German Christmas Market. The Christkind (the Christmas Angel and traditional giver of gifts in many European countries) traveled from Nuremberg to officially open the inaugural market. Vendors displayed and sold authentic German foods, beverages, imported ornaments, glass art, and handmade German toys from imported wooden booths. The 50 ft. Christmas tree and “snow” in the courtyard of Atlantic Station proved to be the ideal location for Atlanta’s first Christkindlmarkt!
2021
In July 2021, 13 students from Atlanta's and Maynard H. Jackson High School and 14 from Sigmund Schuckert Gymnasium in Nuremberg participated in a virtual exchange, where they had the opportunity to connect and share presentations on their daily lives and cultures.
Over the course of a week, the students created projects and participated in various activities and lectures, including learning about the history, culture, and language of their host cities.
