Twin City: Altmünster

View of Altmünster and the Traunsee (sea) lying behind it.

On December 23rd 1971, the document of a partnership between the at the time still independent community of Niederau and Neukirchen in the market township Altmünster was signed in Altmünster at the Traunsee (Upper Austria). Previous to this partnership there had been friendly contacts between the male choral society Niederau-Krauthausen and the music society Neukirchen since 1965.

After the municipal reorganization on January 1st 1972, the community Niederau became part of Düren and the City of Düren took over the duties of the partnership document. Düren strongly fosters the meeting between citizens of both cities. Since 1974, a student exchange has existed in a yearly rotation in Niederau and Neukirchen. Besides the clubs in Niederau and Neukirchen, also delegations of the council and the administration of the cities visit each other. The partnership is widely carried by the population. Altmünster is also a popular vacation destination.

In 1973, two streets in Düren-Niederau were renamed "Altmuensterstraße" and "Neukirchner Straße". In 1989, a street in Neukirchen became "Niederauer Straße" and a street in Altmünster was renamed "Dürener Straße".  Since November 2001, the "Traunseeweg" also exists in Niederau.

For more than 35 years, the encounters stand out through a welcoming atmosphere and sympathy. The partnership owes its vitality to many people. Representative for all of them, 3 people are named from each city that rendered outstanding services to the partnership:

Düren-Niederau:
Franz Braun, long time president of the male choral society Niederau-Krauthausen, Heinrich Reuter, former Mayor and District Councilman, and Franz-Josef Keimes, former president of the District Council.

Altmünster:
Dr. Hugo Scheuba, former Mayor, Mayor Josef Treml, and Frans Spiesberger, the head of the partnership.

Altmünster is situated directly on the Traunsee in the beautiful "Salzkammergut" (a resort area located in Austria). It stretches from the City of Salzburg to the Dachstein mountain range. With it's swimming areas, a covered open air bath, a close network of hiking trails, tennis courts, mountain biking routes, and volleyball courts, it offers many possibilities for an active vacation. With the "Altmuenster-Card", the size of a credit card, guests from Düren receive numerous benefits between May and October. The card can be obtained at the Citizen's Office for the City of Düren at the marketplace.

www.altmuenster.at

www.tiscover.com/altmuenster