Sixty years of friendship: Esselbach celebrates with Stetteldorf!

Sixty years of friendship: Esselbach celebrates with Stetteldorf!

With a colorful festival program, the friendship between the clubs from Esselbach in Germany and Stetteldorf in Austria, which lasts over 60 years, was recently celebrated. The official friendship began in 1962 when Walter Heil from Stetteldorf moved to Esselbach. It was a very special moment when the "transfer game" took place in the same year and laid the foundation for this cross -border connection. In the meantime, the distance between the two locations is more than 600 kilometers.

This year over 55 members of SV Stetteldorf traveled to Esselbach to take part in the traditional Pentecost festival. The event, which was organized by Steffen Grün from FSV Esselbach, included a diverse program. An AH Blitz tournament took place on Saturday, followed by a party night at the sports field. On Sunday there was a traditional church and a drink in the village community center. The evening crowned a celebration with live music of the duo, consisting of Thomas Väth and Jörg Thamm.

sporting ties

The highlight of the festival was the friendly between the fighting teams of SV Stidettorf and FSV Esselbach-Steinmark on Monday. An exciting duel in which the Esselbacher demonstrated what they can do. For some of the players, it was another opportunity to show themselves on the square, while junior games framed the friendly game. On the occasion, SV chairman Reinhard Kainz presented a coat of arms as a sign of appreciation to the honorary chairman of the FSV, Karl-Heinz Hübner.

The sporting exchange is an important part of friendship. While the Esselbacher won 5-1 in 2013 in the last game against SV Stetteldorf, this time it was a 5-1 for the hosts, which underlines the connection and friendly competition. These games and celebrations not only create sporting rivalries, but also friendships that exist for many years.

invitation to continue the friendship

The talks on the edge of the festival already indicated the next steps in the collaboration: An invitation to the Pentecost Festival 2026 in Stetteldorf was pronounced. You can expect a bus full of Esselbacher, which will take the trip to Austria to continue to maintain friendship. The time together should also combine future generations and strengthen the cultural roots of both communities.

The solemn atmosphere and the limitless cooperation are not only testimonies of decades of friendship, but also the cross -border cultural cooperation, which is funded by the European Union. These initiatives enable the exchange of traditions and culture between the countries and strengthen social and economic ties. The EU relies on diverse programs that put the cultural diversity in the foreground and reaffirm the intercultural dialogue. The commitment to an exchange across borders is a central component of the European cultural agenda, which has been increasingly pursued since 2007 and will remain important in the future.

So it remains to be hoped that the friendship between Esselbach and Stetteldorf survives further generations and helps to consolidate the cultural exchange relationships. Because as the events of the past few days showed, there is much more in this friendly connection than just sport and celebrations - the heartbeat of both communities is connected and inseparable through experiences, memories and common festivals.

The details of this solemn friendship and the Pentecost festival can be found on the websites of Mainpost and SV Stideldorf are read, while the EU agenda for culture under culture.ec.europa.eu provides further information.