Frankenmuth

8 Gunzenhausen Platz fountain dedication in 2012, the 50th anniversary. Photo credit Jim Engel In March of 1962, First Mayor of Gunzenhausen, Friedrich Wust, responded that the Gunzenhausen Council had endorsed the Sister City invitation. "The City of Gunzenhausen would be most happy to join with Frankenmuth in a 'People to People' program to promote long-lasting f riendly relations between his city in Germany and the city of Frankenmuth with its rich Bavarian heritage." I n S e p t e m b e r 1 9 6 2 , 8 2 i n d i v i d u a l s t r a v e l e d f r o m Frankenmuth to Gunzenhausen to formalize the new partnership. Most of these travelers were leaving Michigan for the first time. Following a wonderful first visit with new f riends, 83 people returned to Frankenmuth! Dr. Marv and Margie Engel traveled home with their newly adopted daughter, three-year-old Heidi. Heidi and her husband Ken Knieling are now the sole residents on Frankenmuth's Gunzenhausen Street, in the home formerly owned by Heidi's parents. Two years later, in June of 1964, 25 Germans traveled to Frankenmuth f rom Gunzenhausen and surrounding communities, marking the first reciprocal visit f rom the Europeans. Following a host of events, a linden tree was planted near Zehnder's Restaurant commemorating the partnership. The Germans would later travel to Washington, D.C., where they met with first lady, Lady Bird Johnson, who Chartered Flight - 1962. First group to travel to Germany Sixty years ago, Frankenmuth partnered with Gunzenhausen, Germany, to create a Sister City. The Sister City concept was introduced in 1956 by President Dwight Eisenhower. President Eisenhower believed that individuals needed to understand each other to have peaceful relations between countries. He founded the People-to-People program to foster relationships between people across the world. The post-World War II climate provided an ideal environment for this effort. Our f riendship with Gunzenhausen began with the wedding of Franz Gross and Sonja Volker. Franz was born in Schlungenhof, a village near Gunzenhausen. In 1950, his family emigrated to Birmingham, Michigan. Franz returned to Germany as an American soldier. While serving in Germany, Franz was invited to a celebration where he met Sonja Volker. They married in 1958 and moved to Frankenmuth, where Franz served as a manager at Zehnder's Hotel. Frieda Volker, Sonja's Mother, joined the couple in Frankenmuth. Franz, Sonja and Frieda struck up a f riendship with Frankenmuth residents Dr. Marv and Margie Engel. Recognizing similarities between Frankenmuth and her homeland, they dreamed about creating a partnership between Gunzenhausen and Frankenmuth. Sonja and Dr. Engel wrote letters to the officials in Gunzenhausen suggesting the idea of sister cities.

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