Mannheim Germany

Declaration:

• Be it known to all the Citizens that the City of Mannheim in the Rhine-Neckar Region of Baden-Wurttemberg Germany and the City of Windsor in the County of Essex, Ontario, Canada have joined together in recognition of International Friendship and Understanding and the Social, Cultural and Economic Ties between our two communities.

The city of Mannheim is located in the southwestern part of Germany in the Rhine-Neckar region of the Baden-Wurttemberg state. It is the third largest city in the province, with a population of approximately 305,000 inhabitants. Today, Mannheim is known to have one of Europe’s largest inland ports and is known for its trade in coal and iron. The city is the centre for many industrial giants and manufacturers including automotive, agricultural machinery, construction machinery, and chemicals. Mannheim has an energetic cultural scene with both publishing and tourism as important industries. As a cultural centre, Mannheim houses the well-known National Theatre (rebuilt 1954–57), the Reiss-Engelhorn Museums and schools of music and drama. According to Forbes magazine, Mannheim is recognized and ranked 11th among the top 15 for extraordinary innovation. Since 2014, Mannheim has been a member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Creative Cities Network and has embraced the title of "UNESCO City of Music."

Windsor has an established German community, and today German is one of the top five languages that residents of Windsor identify as their mother tongue. As a means of promoting co-operation and exchange of ideas, Windsor City Councillors Fred Francis and John Elliott visited Mannheim from February 17-21, 2016 to attend a conference focused on migration and accommodation of Syrian refugees. Also, the City of Windsor had individuals from Mannheim volunteer for internship positions and professional development exchange with Windsor City Council. This exchange also happens at the student level with exchange programs at the University of Windsor sending students to Germany for a semester abroad. Other examples of outreach include the screening of two Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) films at the “Bermuda Shorts Film Festival” held in Mannheim.