Regensburg celebrates international friendships at the 2025 Citizens Festival!

Regensburg celebrates international friendships at the 2025 Citizens Festival!

Regensburg celebrated a wonderful citizens' festival from June 19th to 22nd, 2025, which not only brought the local community together, but also celebrated the important international friendships with the partner cities. The city shone with the flags of all six twin cities flying at the Old Town Hall. These cities are Aberdeen (Scotland), Brixen (South Tyrol/Italy), Budavár (Hungary), Pilsen (Czech Republic), Qingdao (China) and Tempe (USA). The start of the weekend was enchantingly organized by the Scottish twin city of Aberdeen, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary of twinning with Regensburg this year. This is a long tradition that has existed since 1955.

A special ceremony took place in the Old Town Hall, where Mayor Gertrud Maltz-Schwarzfischer warmly welcomed the international guests. In her moving speech, she underlined the importance of these town twinnings for cultural exchange and coexistence in Europe and beyond. The celebration was complemented by a musical evening on the Jahn Island, where Bavarian brass music met Scottish violin playing and created a special atmosphere.

International highlights

The community festival itself opened on Friday on Cathedral Square and offered a colorful program that had something for every taste. Cultural contributions from the individual partner cities strengthened exchange and understanding among each other. A children's dance group from Budavár impressively presented Hungarian folk dances, while the band Southern Ways from Tempe, Arizona, created a good atmosphere with their music.

On Saturday night, joint tours of the festival took place, during which guests were able to explore the diverse stands and offerings. Particularly noteworthy were the culinary delicacies presented by the stand from Brixen with South Tyrolean specialties and wine. The twin city of Pilsen also contributed an information stand that offered interesting insights into Czech culture. In addition, a photo exhibition by the Ukrainian artist Tatjana Martynova entitled “Odessa, a place of longing” was on display in the colonnade of the Thon Dittmer Palace, which is there until July 3, 2025 and brought further international flair to the community festival.

Town twinning as a bridge to the world

Exchange with international cities is an important part of Bavarian culture. There are an estimated 6,500 town twinnings in Germany, of which over 2,200 are with French cities alone. These partnerships are not only a sign of international understanding, but also a means of bringing cultures closer together and benefiting from each other's knowledge and experiences. Regensburg and its partners have impressively demonstrated this and thus show how valuable such contacts are for peace and cultural wealth.

The community festival was not only a celebration of encounters, but also a place to remember the traditions and history of town twinning, which lasts for decades and connects generations. If you would like to find out more about the city partnerships, you can read about it on Regensburg's official website or be inspired by the advantages and diversity of the cultures.

For Regensburg, this is not just a celebration, but a commitment to an open and cosmopolitan community that occupies an important place in a globalized world. The citizens' festival will be remembered for a long time and will contribute to further strengthening international relations.

You can find more information on Regensburg.de. Data protection information is on Bürgerfest-Regensburg.de to find. Further information on German town twinning can be found at Deutschland.de.