Coburg, Germany
Coburg is located in the very northern part of the state of Bavaria in Germany called Upper Franconia. It sits on the southern side of what used to be the East-West German border. The town itself is quite a bit smaller than Toledo with about 42,000 people, but it is a very pretty little town with winding cobblestone streets leading up to the fortress on the hill above the town. Coburg’s history is long and interesting - perhaps best known for being a location for Martin Luther to seek shelter and work on his translation of the Bible in 1530 and for being the hometown of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. In 1840 Albert married his first cousin, the British Queen Victoria, and became the prince consort. Albert, Victoria, and their nine children frequented Coburg as often as they could.
Modern Coburg, like Toledo, is a glass center and houses one of Europe’s best glass museums, The European Museum of Modern Glass. It also is home to important companies such as Brose (auto parts manufacturer), Kaeser Compressors, and HUK-Coburg (Germany’s largest insurer of private households). Surprisingly, Coburg is also the home of the largest Samba Festival outside of Brazil! Our delegation missed this summer festival, but was able to enjoy their truly beautiful Christmas Market.
Our history as Sister Cities
In 2017, connections were made between Toledo and the charming, historical town of Coburg, Germany. During that year, representatives of both cities exchanged visits, members of Toledo’s Bavarian Sports Club made an overnight stop in Coburg, and four of our committee members accompanied the Greater Toledo International Youth Orchestra on a concert tour to Germany, ending in a concert in the St. Maurice Church in Coburg. By the end of December 2017, Coburg, Germany & Toledo, Ohio were officially Friendship Cities – the first step in becoming Sister Cities.
In the summer of 2019, an official delegation led by the vice mayor of Coburg visited Toledo for the signing of the Sister City agreement in the office of Toledo mayor, Wade Kapzukiewicz. Unfortunately, the covid pandemic delayed the reciprocal trip until December 2024. At that time, eight members of our committee, accompanied by Mayor Kapzukiewicz and his wife, were hosted by the City of Coburg and their Coburg-Toledo Sister City group for six wonderful days. The visit culminated in a grand reception for the final signing of the Sister City Agreement. Now we are indeed Sister Cities!
View Gallery
There may be no better way to communicate what we do than through images. As you browse our site, take a few moments to let your eyes linger here, and see if you can get a feel for our signature touch.
Student Exchange
The Toledo German Sister City Committee is supporting an educational exchange program between the Toledo Technology Academy of Engineering and Coburg’s Vocational School #1.
TGCC helped the two schools connect and hosted two teachers from Coburg who came in September of 2023 on an exploratory visit to TTA and area businesses. The assistant director of TTA traveled with us in December, so that she could sign an agreement with Coburg’s vocational school. The exchange program is to begin in the spring of 2024. Our committee will be giving funds to help underwrite the travel costs of the program for two students and one teacher from Toledo. We are also providing basic German lessons for the TTA students.
