30 years ago Freising and Arpajon decided on a town partnership.
Corona currently makes an anniversary impossible.
Other projects are also on hold.
Freising
- This festival also falls victim to Corona - at least in part: the partnership between Freising and Arpajon has existed for 30 years.
"Normally we would have celebrated the anniversary with a get-together in spring and one in autumn," says Helmut Weinzierl from the partnership association, which has a close relationship with the French twin city even during the pandemic.
"If we're lucky, the best case scenario is a meeting in autumn."
Whether this will take place in Freising or Arpajon is still completely in the stars - in view of the increasing number of infections in Germany and drastic values in France.
On Thursday, the incidence value for the greater Paris area, which includes Arpajon, was over 400. On Wednesday, 38,500 new infections were reported within 24 hours.
"The British corona mutation has been raging longer and more intensely in France than it is here," reports Weinzierl, who recently spoke to a friend from Arpajon on the phone.
There they are already further with vaccination than in this country.
Despite drastic corona numbers: "Arpajon is not paralyzed"
A vaccination center was set up in Freising's twin town itself.
"They use a hall that is normally used for trade fairs and cultural events," reports Weinzierl.
Over 30 percent of the people from Arpajon, which is about 30 kilometers southwest of Paris, have already received a vaccine against Corona.
"They vaccinate as much as they can."
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Helmut Weinzierl: German-French anniversary in autumn at the earliest.
© FT archive
As in Freising, there are also protests against the lockdown in the greater Paris area.
Weinzierl reports on a theater in Paris that was recently occupied by directors, actors and other employees in order to force the current season to continue.
"Every country and region has its own protest scenarios."
Despite the threatening corona development, the people in the twin city had maintained a positive mood.
"Arpajon is not paralyzed," says Weinzierl. "You look forward to what is possible when you have the virus under control." What particularly pleases him: Parallel to Freising, Arpajon also elected a new city council a year ago.
"And there are a whole series of new people who are looking forward to getting to know Freising and the Freisinger," reports Weinzierl.
"It's great that young committed people are coming."
"Cross your fingers": Meetings need months of lead time
Will there be a Franco-German meeting in autumn?
"That depends on the developments in spring and summer," says Weinzierl.
“Because we need at least two or three months in advance to plan such a celebration accordingly.
At the moment we can only keep our fingers crossed. "
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Dieter Thalhammer, chairman of the Freising partnership association: Corona prevents planned friendship agreements.
© FT-ARchive
Two other projects are also on hold, as announced by Dieter Thalhammer, chairman of the partnership association.
"Friendship agreements with Groß-Enzersdorf and Weißenkirchen in the Wachau were actually planned for this year." But ties with the two cities in Lower Austria will not be able to be established for the time being.
Other partner cities have also been badly hit by Corona
“I'm in constant contact with our partner cities - that's all you can do at the moment,” says Thalhammer.
From his phone calls with representatives of friendly cities, he knows that in addition to Arpajon, the Austrian Oberwölz in Styria has been badly affected by the pandemic.
"And the San Candido market in South Tyrol was also hit badly by Corona."
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