Offenbach City (Hessen, Germany)

Offenbach City is located near the center of Hessen in Germany, along the southern edge of the Main River. It has a population of about 140,000, and covers about 45 square kilometers. The city has a long history, and in 1977 it celebrated its 1,000th anniversary. Linked to this rich legacy, there is a wealth of buildings that conjure up images of the distant past. What’s more, about 30 percent of the population is non-German, with its bright, open and cosmopolitan atmosphere ranking as one of the community’s major selling points.
In recent years Offenbach has achieved impressive development as an industrial city active in making machinery and chemicals, while the community is also famous for its traditional leather trade.

The City of Kawagoe and the City of Offenbach, the Federal Republic of Germany hereby pledge to be sister-cities with approval from their city councils, and declare the following:
1. Both cities will cooperate with each other in friendship and belief, and work to build better understanding and goodwill among their citizens.
2. Both cities will encourage and expand direct contact in the following three fields: economy, culture and sports.
3. The close cooperation and contact of both cities will contribute to the prosperity of both cities and the goodwill between two nations, and consequently to maintaining world peace.
This declaration is made in two languages, Japanese and German, and valid for both cities.

　Dated the twenty-fourth of August 1983.

　Kiichi Kawai, Mayor, Kawagoe City

　Kenji Shimamura, President, City Council

　Dr. Walter Suermann, Mayor, City of Offenbach

　Dr. Bruno Knapp, President, City Council