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Dortmund, Germany

The origins of the Buffalo-Dortmund Sister City relationship can be traced back to 1972. A Dortmund native, Herbert Morgenroth, arrived in Buffalo as an exchange teacher at the University of Buffalo under the auspices of the Carl Duisberg Society, a German exchange program. Morgenroth was struck by the similarities between our City of Buffalo and his home town of Dortmund. It is about the same size as Buffalo and its suburbs, is the site of the most famous steel company in Europe and is famous for its bear production. So struck was he by the possibilities of Sister City relationship that he undertook to "talk it up". Morgenroth was living on LeBrun Street near the University Campus and an Eggertsville resident, Mr. John E. Ward, then principal of Genesee-Humboldt Junior High School, heard of Morgenroth's idea. The idea caught on with Ward and by 1974, he, Morgenroth and others broached the idea with Honorary German Consul in Buffalo, Mrs. Nathan "Brix" Barrell. If February of that year, their idea was formally presented to Mayor Stanley Makowski and the program was on it's way.

Buffalo-Dortmund Sister City Committee

Dortmund, Germany's Web site