Bourg-la-Reine in France

Home to about 20,000 people, the commune of Bourg-la-Reine is located about 10 kilometers south of Paris in the Île-de-France region.

Bourg-la-Reine has been twinned with Monheim am Rhein since 2000, but the friendly relations between the two go back much further, to 1987. Our partnership is characterized by the old bonds between our friendship and partnership associations, which formed as a result of school exchanges.

Youth Summit on the "City of the Future"

Mehrere Jugendliche sitzen an einem Biertisch unter einem Zelt. Sie halten kleine Deutschland-, Fankreich- und Israelfahnen. Die Jugendlichen lächeln und trinken Softdrinks. — The delegates of the youth panels spent a week together discussing what a youth-friendly "City of the Future" would look like. Photo: Tim Kögler

Fifty young people from four twin towns came together at the Youth Summit in Monheim am Rhein in July 2022. The young delegates from the youth panels of Bourg-la-Reine, France; Delitzsch, Saxony; Malbork, Poland; Tirat Carmel, Israel; and the Monheim Youth Parliament pitched their tents on Kapellenstrasse and spent a week discussing what a youth-friendly "City of the Future" would look like. Apart from the workshops, there was enough space and time for the participants to make friends with each other. At the end of the summit, the young people presented their results to the mayors and representatives of the twin towns.

The Youth Summit was funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union.

Inauguration of the French Quarter

Blick auf das Frankreichviertel in Baumberg. Auf einem Platz in der Mitte befindet sich feiernde Menschen. Es sind Essensstände und Sonnenschirme aufgebaut. Im Hintergrund stehen neugebaute Häuser. Rechts ist ein noch unfertiges Haus mit Gerüst. — A small celebration in the style of a French market inaugurated the new quarter on the future Bourg-la-Reine Square. Photo: Tim Kögler

May 28, 2022, saw the inauguration of the French Quarter ("Frankreichviertel") in Baumberg. The celebration with a French ambience was attended by the mayor of Bourg-la-Reine, Patrick Donath, who was accompanied by a delegation and the French Consul General Olivia Christmann Berkeley. About 30 members of the Friendship Association ARAI opened the new square with wine and a boules tournament. Residents and numerous guests celebrated the new neighborhood in a relaxed atmosphere with typical French music and French food.

Vocational internships

Thanks to the generous cooperation of the twin towns and the European funding program Erasmus+, our twin town accepted trainees from the City Administration as interns for the first time in 2019. In October 2019, Celine Lindner spent three weeks working in different areas of Bourg-la-Reine’s municipal administration. She thoroughly enjoyed the experience: “I was given a very warm welcome and will certainly be visiting Bourg-la-Reine again in my free time.” Bourg-la-Reine would like to receive more interns in the future. Our long-standing friendship has thus offered our citizens an opportunity to gain experience abroad, even in the field of vocational training.

School exchanges

Eine Gruppe Schülerinnen und Schüler auf einer Erhöhung vor einem See, im Hintergrund viele Bäume — OHG school students explore the Paris area. Photo: Andrea Welzel

Every year, Monheim school students travel to the twin town of Bourg-la-Reine, and school students from Bourg-la-Reine come to visit Monheim am Rhein. The program includes learning – but also exploring the region. Thanks to the dedication of all the teachers and host families, new friendships are constantly being forged. The exchange took place again in 2019.

Delegation from Bourg-la-Reine visits for France-themed Europe Week

Daniel Zimmermann und eine Delegation aus Bourg-la-Reine in einem Planwagen — Visit to Haus Bürgel. Photo: Dafna Graf

In honor of our Europe Week dedicated to France, a delegation from Bourg-la-Reine, led by new Mayor Patrick Donath, came to Monheim am Rhein in May 2017. The delegates took part in the business forum and made plans for future cooperation with Monheim am Rhein.

Monheim association "Friends of Bourg-la-Reine"

“Monheimer Freundeskreis Bourg-la-Reine” (Monheim friends of Bourg-La-Reine) is a non-profit association that has been promoting the ties between our two towns since 1987. In close cooperation with its counterpart organization in Bourg-la-Reine, which is called Arai, the association supports the annual school exchanges, cultural exchange and more. Mutual visits take place throughout the year, but the association also brings a taste of French culture to Monheim.