Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

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click image to visit the official Greifswald website
In February 2007, Newport News City Council affirmed Greifswald as its 3rd official Sister City. Greifswald is situated in the northeastern part of the German federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, along the Baltic Sea. The town developed after Danish Cistercian monks settled there to build the Eldena Monastery in 1199 - the ruins of which are immortalized through numerous sketches and paintings by the town’s native son, Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840).

Greifswald is home to the Ernst Moritz Arndt University (founded in 1456 - the second oldest university in Northern Europe. Today Greifswald University boasts approximately 12,000 students and is well known for its medical program, new university library. The town is also home to the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP), named for father of the quantum physics, Max Planck who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1918.

Formerly part of East Germany, Greifswald has prospered since the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 and German Unity (reunification) in October 1990.  In 2001, the first direct mayoral election was held.  Dr. Arthur König became Mayor of Greifswald and has since been re-elected.  He remains the Greifswald’s current mayor.  Large scale construction on the University campus including university clinics, a new university library, and institutional and research buildings have also occurred.

The Newport News Sister City partnership is supported in Greifswald by the Office of the Mayor and the community’s Friends of North America Club.

2017 Greifswald Delegation & Host Families
Pax & Melissa Goodson / Lord Mayor Dr. Stefan Fassbinder
Bobbi & Joe Hutchko / Anett Hauswald
Jim & Virginia Taylor / Friedhelm Hein
Fred & Phyllis Kohlman / Hannelore & Matthias Schwenke
Katie & Jeff Stodghill / Katharina Freitag

2016 Jahn Gymnasium Host Families & Delegates
Alvord Family /Valentin Steinle
Brinkley Family /Johannes Gums
Cann Family /Ms. Anke Gutsche
Carter Family /Celine Brunnenkref
Clark Family /Lea Hermann &Daniela Purps
Dahl Family / Sonja Völker & Hannah Bernitzki
Danehy Family / Andrea Schmidtz
Forbes Family / Hannah Kallmeyer & Luisa Radloff
Gray Family / Enid Maske
Hamilton Family / Lea  Brüser
Kerner Family / Anna Strübing
Lambert Family / Hannah Melzer & ViVi Feng
Louder Family / Laura Scholwin &Gina Scheiwe
Martin-Williams Family / Ms. Valentina Filter
May Family / Sebastian Rochow
Miller Family / Phillip Simonsen
Mitchell and Brinkley Families/ Tobias Altmann
Payne Family / Daniel Diel
Ramirez Family / Andrine Vogelgesang
Ruble Family / Luis Werner
Rudd Family / Bjoern Baumann
Russell Family / Mr. Klaus Schroeder
Sanders Family / Maia Holzmann
Schaffer Family / Emma Bauschke
Simpson Family /Max Hoffmeister
Solterbeck Family / Anna Heineman
Stodghill Family / Thomas Schweikhand
J. Stodghill Family / Mr. Volker Grap
VanEck Family / Leah Lütt

10th Anniversary Honored!

October 4th 2017 marked the 10th Anniversary of Newport News’ partnership with Greifswald, Germany. Greifswald’s Lord Mayor, Dr. Stefan Fassbinder, led a delegation to Newport News in honor of the milestone. The Mariners' Museum opened the “Views of the Baltic Sea” photo exhibition to highlight this exquisite maritime community and area business and sites welcomed the delegates. Local "Host Families" provided the people-to-people contact that makes the Sister Cities uniquely successful. SCNN extends our thanks to the host families and organizations who assisted us with this exchange and displayed the welcoming spirit of our community, especially:

The Mariners' Museum / JLAB / CNU's Reiff Center
VA Air & Space Museum / Newport News Shipbuilding / Pfac
Menchville High / Warwick High / Mayor McKinley Price
The Stodghill Family / The Goodson Family
The Kohlman Family / The Taylor Family
The Hutchko Family / Mike Pannewitz / Mario Mazzarella Greifswald Chair, Ron Russell
Enjoy some images from the exchange below:
greifswald_2006_englisch.ppt
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